Is It Love?
by JackunzelForever
Summary: Rapunzel Corona has been one of the most popular girls in school since elementary times. She's been dating her hot boyfriend Flynn Rider since 8th grade, and it seems like nothing could tear them apart. But then a cute new boy appears who doesn't seem to fit in, and Rapunzel begins to wonder where her real feelings lie. Includes some Merricup and possibly other couples.
1. First Day!

Chapter 1:

Rapunzel Corona

I groaned inwardly as my alarm clock beeped loudly. _Come on, Rapunzel_, I told myself, _Can't be late for the first day of high school!_

Suddenly, my door flew open and my mother waltzed in. "Good morning, my flower!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around my neck. "Today's your first day of high school, and you don't want to be late!" I nodded groggily. She kissed my forehead and left.

Mother wasn't really my mother. She was my foster mother who adopted me when my parents died in a house fire. She could get angry or become rather vain sometimes, but I knew that, deep down, she loved me.

I threw my covers off of me and stepped out of bed onto my soft pink carpet. I padded over to my purple bathroom and started brushing my teeth. When I was finished, I brushed my hair (I was proud of how long it was-all the way down to the back of my knees!) while staring at the outfit I'd picked out last night: a light purple dress with a pink cardigan, a pink headband, and white flats. It had seemed so perfect the last time I'd seen it. Now it looked like . . . like I was trying too hard to look good.

But there was no time to think about that. I only had five minutes to get dressed, eat breakfast, and walk to school. I quickly pulled on my clothes and dashed downstairs, quickly slowing down a bit when I remembered Mother's rule about no running in the house. I grabbed my backpack and a plastic shopping bag filled with my extra school supplies before snagging a muffin and a banana.

"Bye, Mother!" I called to her, racing out the door.

"Have a good day, dear!" she called back, and I could hear her chuckling slightly before I shut the door.

I slowed my pace after that, taking my time to eat my small breakfast so it would last longer. I checked my pink and silvery fashion watch. It was 7:39! The warning bell rang at 7:45, so I would only have 10 minutes to get my new locker combo, decorate, and socialize! I hurried to the school. This would be my sophomore year!

When I reached the school, I was breathing heavily, but managed to get inside and received my locker combination. I discovered that I was next to my best friend Mavis as she was lining black duct tape around her locker.

"Hey!" Mavis said, smiling as she finished, "Isn't it so awesome how they put us together this year?"

"Yeah, totally!" I agreed enthusiastically, grinning back. Then I turned back to my locker. I hung up my pink zebra-print mirror on the inside of the door, my little crystal chandelier was placed hanging from my top locker shelf, pictures of me and my friends were pasted everywhere, magnets were scattered all over, hanging up my stuff, and other miscellaneous junk anywhere there was room.

The warning bell rang, startling me from my decorating. I always get a bit lost into something whenever I do it. I grabbed my books and binders for my first three periods and hurried off to homeroom.

Mavis ran after me. "Hey, wait up!" she panted. "Gee, Punz, all of those early-morning runs must've really made you fast! Anyways, let's compare schedules! What do you have first?"

"Well, I have homeroom and history with Mr. Charming," I replied.

"Yeah, me too!" she said, "But we better hurry, though. My cousin, she said that Mr. Charming is such a pain in the you-know-what." Mavis rolled her eyes, causing me to giggle. When we reached the classroom, I noticed that most of the students had already arrived and were seated. Mavis and I quickly sat down in the two empty seats in the front, as they were the only ones available.

"You two must be Ms. Corona and Ms. Drakla. It's so wonderful that you have both decided to join us today," said a young, blonde-haired male from the teacher's desk. "We have not yet been properly introduced. My name is Mr. Princeton Charming." He flashed us a big, fake, blindingly white smile. "Now, I have already taken attendance, and just added you two. Shall we get on with our lesson?"

All of the students' heads nodded.

Mr. Charming smiled again. "Good! Now, before we actually start, I have a little pop quiz for you all."

We all groaned. "Don't worry my dear pupils!" Mr. Charming grinned. "This shall not be graded, it's just basically what you already know so that I can see how well you'll do in class. Please pass them to the people behind you and pass up any extras. Once you have your paper, you may begin!"

I neatly printed my name on my quiz and started. _Okay, first question_, I thought, _When did King George the 3__rd__ die?_

Ooh, that was a hard one. All I knew was that it was in January. I gave up and just wrote down January 28 1812.

By the time Mr. Charming had called time, I was about 3/4 through the test, but was forced to hand it in. I was pretty sure I hadn't done very well, but Mavis was sure that she had done far worse. We both shifted our books in our arms and headed off different ways to our next classes.


	2. Jack Frost

Chapter 2:

Jack Frost

"Jackson Overland Frost!"

I laughed, hearing my little sister Madison's voice sound so stern. "Calm down, Maddie! It was just one little snowball!" I shouted to her over my shoulder as I ran away.

"You're going to get it, big brother!" she screamed. She looked pretty mad . . . well, as mad as an 8-year-old can get, anyways.

We were having a snowball fight as we waited for the movers to finish putting all our stuff into the new house. We were moving from our apartment in the city of Burgess to the quiet suburbs of Berk. I had to admit, though, that this place had some awesome snow.

"I got ya!" she yelled, tackling me to the ground. My snow-white hair fell into my eyes as Madison tried to attack me.

I laughed, turning my little sister over and tickling her, making her shriek with laughter. It was hard to believe that I would just be starting school here in Berk tomorrow. Back in Burgess I hadn't had that many friends, so I didn't know what I was going to do here for socializing.

* * *

_Here I go, _I thought, walking into my new school: Disney-Dreamworks High. According to the pamphlet my mom had gotten, it was named after its two founders: Walt Disney and George Dreamworks. They both had weird names, in my opinion. But, back to the present. I shook my head and shoved open the doors. Inside, all the kids were either standing around and talking or they were still fiddling with their new locker combinations. I hefted my white-and-dark-blue backpack over my shoulder and looked at my new schedule. _Room 5A, Murphy_. I trudged on.

When I reached my homeroom, a tall woman in a black-and-orange jumpsuit was sorting papers at her desk. And when I said tall, I meant _tall_. She looked taller than 7 feet! She looked up, catching my eye. She had chin-length white-blonde hair that fell into her deep blue eyes. She brushed her hair away and smiled at me. "You must be Jackson Frost," she said, coming around the desk to shake my hand. She had a good handshake, firm and hard.

"I go by Jack," I replied.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Jack," she laughed. "I'm Miss Susan Murphy, but most just call me Miss Susan. Here is your locker number and combination. I hope you will be ready for my class! I teach Science."

I nodded, then turned on my heel and headed out to the hall. I managed to find my locker pretty quickly, and on my left was a beefy boy with scraggly brown hair poking out from underneath a football helmet. He grunted something under his breath before slamming his locker shut.

I rolled my eyes and opened up my own locker. After unceremoniously jamming my stuff into my locker, I got my stuff for Science and headed down the hall. When I turned the corner, I heard laughing and whimpering at the end of the hallway and rushed down. There I saw a bunch of these big guys circling a pale, skinny kid with brown hair and a mess of freckles on his face. Tears poured down his face as the other boys taunted him.

"So I heard your GIRLFRIEND broke up with you. How sad," one of them leered.

"My girl said that Astrid never liked you anyways, her parents forced her to date you!" another of them jabbed.

I felt anger welling up inside of me. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" I shouted.

They turned around and stared at me in shock. I glared back.

"What makes you think you've got the right to pick on some innocent guy?!" I yelled at them.

They seemed to snap out of their daze.

"You must be new here," snapped a blonde boy in the group. "We're the tough guys, and-"

The tallest boy with red hair just snarled. "Forget it, Tuffnut, let's not waste our time with these two losers. Meg's waiting."

The boy named Tuffnut rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Herc. Let's ditch, then."

They moved away, grumbling. I looked at the boy.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked him gently.

He sniffled. "Yeah, I think so." He smiled. "Thanks for standing up for me."

I grinned back. "It's fine. I'm Jack, by the way," I added.

"Hiccup. Hiccup Haddock," he told me. " Are you new? I don't remember seeing your face freshman year."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm new. Just moved here from Burgess."

Hiccup nodded, looking serious. Then his face broke into a huge grin. "Hey, can we compare schedules? This kinda sounds crazy, but . . . I've never had friends before. Besides the Mathletes, of course," he added.

"Oh, well, um, I have Science first period with Ms. Murphy, Language with Ms. Lola, then Alebra II with Mr. Crood."

"Looks like we have Science together, then!" Hiccup said cheerfully. He began whistling as we walked to class. It seriously got on my nerves.

In Science, Ms. Susan told us that our first unit would be chemistry, her favorite unit. Suddenly, her phone rang and she ran to pick it up.

"Hello? Oh, Derek, is that you? Aww, you're coming all the way from Modesto to come see me?" she giggled. "But, honey, I have a class now. I'll have to call you later. Bye!" When she hung up, she was bright red as we all snickered, and looked relieved that the bell rang for second period.

As I walked down the hall alone to Spanish, I realized that it was only 8:45 in the morning and I had already made a new friend.

**A/N(Author's Note): Hey, guys! Sorry to those of you who wanted some Jackunzel action, but I promise that I'll put it in my next chapter! School's been keeping me busy lately and I'm going out with my BF for Valentine's Day ;D. I'll keep you all posted, loyal readers!**


	3. Three At A Time

Chapter 3

Rapunzel Corona

I struggled to keep my eyes open as Mr. Crood, my new math teacher tried to explain what we'd be doing for Algebra II this year. I fought back a yawn. I'd move ahead if it didn't mean not being with my friends. I saw Eep, a girl with red hair in a short bob and a tight tiger-print mini dress that just barely made the dress code, already dozing on her desk.

Mr. Crood saw her, too. "EEP!" he growled. He was pretty big and very intimidating, with broad shoulders and a tall gait.

Eep woke up and stretched. "Yeah, Dad?" she yawned.

"Could you just please not sleep in my class anymore? It's getting on my nerves, young lady."

Eep shrugged. "Sure, Dad, whatevs."

Mr. Crood made a face at her words, but then turned back to the board. Just as he was writing out some sort of math formula, a paper airplane came soaring through the air and hit him right in the back of his neck.

"ARRRGH!" he yelled. He spun around. "WHO DID THAT?!"

He looked around the classroom. He looked at Mavis, who was filing her nails to Eep, who was staring at her phone to, finally, a boy who sat in the back. I'd never seen him before, so he must've been new. His pale, bleached hair stood out, and his ice blue eyes stared back at the teacher's. His smirk made it obvious he had thrown the airplane.

Mr. Crood was fuming. "YOU! OFFICE! NOW!"

The boy got up, grabbed his stuff, and sauntered out of the room. Mr. Crood followed, right on his heels, slamming the door behind him. As soon as his lumbering footsteps were no longer audible, everyone burst into excited chatter.

"Who WAS that dude that got your dad so pissed?" Guy, Eep's boyfriend, asked his best friend Once-ler.

"I dunno," Once-ler replied, shrugging.

Mavis looked up from her nails to raise her pencil-thin eyebrows at me. I gave a small tip of my head in return. We have always been able to communicate like this, ever since we were young. But then something interrupted our little silent conversation.

"Ah, ya shut up, the lot of ya! Ya all got no shame, don'tcha? Why don't ya all just march on over to 7-Elevine and buy ya-self somethin'!"

I knew that voice without even having to turn around. It was Merida DunBroch, the Scottish exchange student who moved here in 9th grade. When I turned in my seat, I saw that she was standing up and glaring at the boys.

I walked over to her, ignoring the looks Mavis was shooting at me. I put a hand on Merida's shoulder, causing her to shriek and swing at me blindly. I ducked, narrowly missing her flailing arm, and grabbed her. "Merida, calm down!" I said. "What'll happen if a teacher hears you and-"

"And what?" The detention teacher (yes, can you believe it? My school actually has a detention teacher!), Mr. Pitch Black, asked in a sinister tone. I whirled around. He grinned wickedly. "Miss DunBroch and Miss Corona, if you could both be so kind as to join me in my office after . . . _class_?" he said. He looked disdainfully at the classroom before leaving.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. I'd just gotten detention! This was going to go on my spotless permanent record for sure! Merida didn't look so surprised, though. She was a big-time athlete, on the archery, soccer, and basketball teams and out-of-school horseback riding. She had a knack for getting into trouble. I slumped down in my seat; at least Mavis knew me well enough not to give me anymore looks. I sighed. I was dreading the end of class.

**A/N: I'm SO sorry it's so short! And I know that I said before that there would be some Jackunzel action in this one, but honestly I didn't know how to fit it in! So please, just bear with me and the next chapter will be here soon! :)**


	4. Detention

Chapter 4

Jack Frost

I walked into the main office, where the secretary, Miss Pattie (it said so on the nameplate on her desk), was typing away at her computer. She looked up at me, her eyebrows raised. I couldn't believe it either. I'd just gotten in trouble on the first day of school! Mr. Crood roughly shoved me aside.

"Miss Pattie, could you please go get Principal Moon for me? We have a bit of an, er . . . _situation_," he explained, glaring at me.

Miss Pattie looked flustered. "W-why yes, Mr. Crood! Right away!" She hurried away.

Mr. Crood gave me the stink eye. "You're in a boatload of trouble, young man!" he threatened. He looked like he was about to say more when a tall, bald middle-aged man walked through the door.

"Good day, Grug. How are you? Oh, and you must be our new student, Jackson Frost," the man said pleasantly. He held out his hand for me to shake. I did. "My name's Principal Manny Moon. You can just call me Mr. M, though." He smiled at me warmly, then looked up at my teacher. "Well, Grug? Is there a problem you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well, yes, sir, in fact there is . . ." my math teacher began.

"How about you tell me in my office?" the principal suggested. He led us into his office, a small room built in the main office. He sat down behind his desk. "Now, Mr. Crood, if you could please continue."

"This boy here threw a PAPER AIRPLANE at me during my math class! Isn't that disrespectful?!" Mr. Crood was practically shouting.

Principal Manny looked at the teacher calmly. "Grug, while not tolerated, it was harmless enough. Did Jackson poke out your eyes or give you a paper cut? I think not. But, Jackson, even though it's your first day here, I am forced to give you detention after school today. Would you like me to call your parents about this so that they can pick you up?"

I flinched. "Er, no, sir. I rode my skateboard to school today, so my mom doesn't have to pick me up. And I'll call her on my cellphone about the detention thing so she'll know I'm coming home late."

Principal Manny nodded. "Good. You will have it for about 3 hours, then you may leave to go home. Any other questions?"

"No, sir." I felt my face turn red.

The principal nodded. "Very well, then. You may both leave now." Mr. Crood and I stood up to leave, then went out the door and back to the classroom.

* * *

If I had to describe detention in only two words, I'd say this: it sucked. The detention teacher (I couldn't believe it. A DETENTION TEACHER? A teacher who was actually _paid _to give kids detention?!), Pitch Black, glared at me menacingly. I could tell he hated me at first sight. I ruffled my hair, making him glare at me more.

_Whoa, whoa, whoa_, I thought, _Does he seriously hate me because of my _hair_? He's such an old-timer._ My thoughts were scattered, though, when Hiccup walked through the door.

I grinned. "What's up, Haddock?" I called, using his last name. I'd just learned it today during Science.

"Excuse me, Mr. Frost, but no talking is permitted," Pitch snapped. I waved his words away breezily. I'd been in detention a ton of times at my old school. This was no biggie.

Hiccup came to sit in the seat next to me. "So, how'd you get in detention?" he whispered.

"Threw a paper airplane at my math teacher," I replied, not taking my eyes off Pitch. He glared back at me before turning back to his paperwork.

Hiccup made a sound in between a squeak and a yelp. "You WHAT?" he asked in the loudest whisper he dared.

"Yep," I answered. "So, what'd you do?"

Hiccup buried his face in his hands. "I made a smart comment in English. The teacher said it was Shakespeare, and I said that the poem was from the 17th century. When OBVIOUSLY Shakespeare was from the 16th!"

I shook my head. "Hiccup Haddock, you are such a nerd." I grinned when I said this, to show him I was teasing. He chuckled with me.

Pitch whirled around. "You two boys, shut u-your mouths!" He gave us the evil eye. I just quirked my eyebrow at him. Then I heard voices from the hallway. It sounded like girl voices . . .

"And I can't BELIEVE you have to go to detention because of that!" one voice said.

A sweeter-toned voice replied, "Oh, calm down, Mavis. It's only one day. I'll see you tomorrow." The other person huffed and stomped away. Then a golden-haired girl appeared in the doorway.

She smiled apologetically at the detention teacher, but he just simply held out his hand and she placed her phone in it. Hiccup's and mine were already on his desk. The girl walked over to the two of us and sat down behind me, placing her denim book bag on the floor next to her.

Pitch glanced at his clipboard. "Now, let's see . . . we have Mr. Jackson Frost-"

"Jack Frost," I interjected.

Pitch rolled his eyes and continued. "And we also have Mr. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, and now Miss Corona. Unfortunately, we still lack one person: Miss Merida Dunbroch." He looked at the three of us.

Suddenly, the door flew open. A girl with a head full of wild red curls entered the room.

"A'm sorry, Mr. Pitch," she said, breathing hard. "Mah soccer practice ran a wee bit too late, sir."

Pitch didn't look amused, but he collected her phone and told her to take a seat. She sat next to Rapunzel, behind Hiccup.

"Now, you all should know the rules of detention:no talking, texting, or have any social contact." Pitch looked at his watch. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to pick up some papers from the copy room. Please be quiet while I'm gone and do some work." Pitch stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Almost immediately, I sprang out of my seat. Retrieving my phone from Pitch's desk, I sat at his seat and stole a lollipop from the stash on his desk. I unwrapped it and looked at the wrapper. Huh. Fruit Punch. I stuck it in my mouth, resuming my carefree attitude.

Hiccup shoved his glasses up his nose further while hunching his shoulders, as if he was trying to hide behind the thick book he was reading. He looked up at me. "Uh, Jack?" he ventured. I peered over my feet at him.

"Yeah, Hic?" I replied lazily.

Hiccup started stammering. "I-I don't think that you're allowed to do that. I mean, what if Mr. Black comes back and you get in trouble? What if-"

"Look, Hic," I interrupted. "We ARE in detention, aren't we? So we couldn't possibly get into more trouble than we already are in, right? And plus, it's doubtful that Pitch will come back soon. He's pretty slow, even for an old timer."

The girl named Rapunzel blanched. "Y-you call him by his first name?" she whispered.

I grinned at her, giving her one of my signature charming smiles. "Hey, I call all of my teachers by their first names. None of 'em ever had a problem with it before. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with it now." I swung my legs off of the desk and walked over to Rapunzel. "Y'know, Punzie . . ." I began.

Rapunzel flinched. "_Punzie_?" she repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I flashed her another smile. "It means you just earned yourself a new nickname. Get used to it, Punz. I give practically everyone a nickname. Hiccup here's no exception." To prove my point, I called over to Hiccup. "Isn't that right, Hic?"

"Huh? What?" Hiccup looked startled. He almost dropped his huge textbook on the floor. I laughed, and he joined in. Rapunzel showed a small bit of a smile. I walked over to the other girl.

"Hey there," I said. "You must be Merida, right?"

The girl looked shocked. She nearly dropped the rubber ball she'd been tossing in her hand onto the floor. She turned towards me, her face as red as her hair. "How'd yah know mah name was Merida?" she asked.

I shoved my hands into my sweatshirt's pocket and gave her a cocky grin. "Easy. Pitch said your name when you came in. Now guess what MY name is."

"Jackson Overland Frost," Hiccup called from the next seat over.

"Yah. What he said," Merida answered, cracking up. Hiccup and Rapunzel joined in.

"Okay, okay, you've had your fun, dude. But how 'bout I tell these two what YOUR name is?" I threatened him teasingly. His eyes bulged out.

"N-no way, JACKSON!" he shot back in a pathetic attempt to insult and stop me at once.

I smirked at him. "Fat chance that's NOT happening, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III."

He buried his head in his arms as the two girls shrieked with laughter. Merida snorted and Rapunzel let out light, bubbly tinkling laughter. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked when she laughed. Her green eyes shined, her soft, full pink lips shimmering in the light, her long, glossy blonde hair catching in the light . . . I realized I was staring and immediately quit it.

"Hey, you ladies wanna do something fun?" I asked charmingly. Both girls exchanged looks, then looked back at me.

"What kind of fun?" Rapunzel ventured cautiously.

"Oh, you'll see. You just have to trust me." My eyes twinkled mischievously and I grinned wickedly. "Follow me, ladies and dude." Hiccup let out a frustrated sound, but followed me when I opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

**A/N: Some suspense here, right? This one's pretty long, I exceeded 1,000 words, coming pretty close to 2,000. This chapter was pretty boring, in my opinion. But I had to find a way to continue this story, so I was just like "Eh, let's get this over with." So this is pretty much what came to me. If you guys have any idea what I should use for my next chapter, leave it as a review and I'll read it ASAP. I'm pretty bored now, I've got two tests this week, but who cares? So, anyway, I can't find any way to continue this right now, so whoever has the best idea will get to have their idea put into my next chapter. Thanks! :D**


	5. A Prank and Capture

**Warning: Mature language in chapter.**

Chapter 5

Rapunzel Corona

I slowly stepped out of the detention room. Merida followed suit, right behind me. We glanced at each other, then quickly looked away. I had a bad feeling that we might get caught.

The white-haired boy turned around to face us, walking backwards. He smirked. "So, you two ladies ready for a treat?"

I fiddled anxiously with the sparkly pink barrette in my hair. "Honestly, what happened back there was a bit of a blur. I don't really know why I'm following someone I've never even met before."

The boy's smirk grew even larger. "Okay, well for starters, I'm Jack Frost. And that dude over there's Hiccup. I think we introduced each other before, but those were our full names, and we prefer our nicknames, thank you very much."

I twirled a lock of hair between my fingers. "Um, yeah, and I'm Rapunzel . . ."

The boy named Hiccup spoke up. "Y-yeah. Mr. Black read aloud our names at the beginning of detention." Jack nodded.

"Ah don't give a crap ahbout whatcha are doin' 'cause all ah know es that we're goin' ta get intah big trouble. So ya boys ain't gonna lead me down where ah'll get more detention and less practice time," Merida interjected blithely.

Jack grinned hugely. I noticed how white his teeth were. "Calm down, Princess. It's all in good fun."

Merida turned as red as her frizzy red hair. "Don't call mah that!" I knew from the years past that if anyone tried to give Merida a nickname, he would seriously regret it the next day. Merida made sure of that. She lurched forward as if to punch him, but I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back.

Jack put a hand over his heart. "Jeez, Princess, I was afraid you might kill me! But Punzie here made sure that that wouldn't happen, right, Punz?" He turned to her, grinning his insanely handsome grin.

I felt myself drowning in those beautiful eyes of his. "Uh, um, yeah," I murmured, blushing furiously. Why was I acting like this? I had a boyfriend! Flynn Rider, the hottest and most popular boy in Disney-Dreamworks High.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Enough dawdling, guys. So, Frost, what're your MASTER plans for this afternoon?"

Jack smirked. "Well, _Haddock_, I figured we could pull a few harmless pranks."

I snapped right out of my daze. "What? Was that a joke?"

"Ah course not," Merida snapped. "This laddie here couldn't tell a joke even if 'is life depended on it!"

"Guys, come on," Hiccup said, trying to act like the peacemaker in the situation.

"Hiccup's right," I said quietly. The others looked at me in surprise. "If we're going to do what Jack suggested-pulling a-um, a prank, then we have to work together and NOT argue. Understood?"

"Woo-hoo! YES!" Hiccup cheered. When we stared at him, he put his arms back down to his sides and quieted.

"I'm with Punzie on this one," Jack said, smirking.

"_Rapunzel_," I corrected him, rolling my eyes.

"That's too big of a mouthful to chew," Jack replied smoothly. "That's why I make up nicknames for everyone. Right, Princess?"

"Oh, why, you little-" Merida muttered, reaching for Jack. This time Hiccup grabbed her, only from the waist. Merida whirled around. "Don't touch meh!" she hissed at him.

I sighed. "Merida, are you in or not?"

Merida considered it. "Ah guess ah'm in," she said reluctantly.

"Yeah!" Jack cheered. "Follow me then, ladies and Hiccup." Hiccup crossed his arms and huffed.

I cracked up at that. For some reason I found it really funny. I clutched at my sides, tears running down my face. After a while, Merida joined in, then Jack, and then even Hiccup was chuckling.

"OK, OK, compose yaselves, lads end lass," Merida ordered, wiping tears off her face. "If we're gonna be doing something, we gotta be 100% focused on it, no matter how crappy."

Jack nodded. "Princess is right. Let's go!" He led us down the hallway to his locker. Opening up his door, I saw what a mess it was. Reaching into the back of his locker, he whispered, "I always keep a few in my locker." With that, he pulled out four cans of Red Bull.

Hiccup's eyes widened, Merida's eyebrows arched, and I buried my face in my hands. Mother would NEVER let me drink that sort of stuff. She barely even let me drink Pepsi or Gatorade!

"Well?" Jack asked. He held the cans out to us. "Don't worry, Hic. These won't kill you. Besides, we're not even gonna drink 'em." Hiccup and I both exhaled in relief. "_But_, we _are_ going to switch out the coffee in the teachers' lounge with this stuff. The guys will be bouncing off the WALLS with these babies!"

Merida nodded in approval. "That's actually not a bad prank, fer a boy like yah."

"Was there a compliment somewhere in there, Princess?" Jack smiled.

"Don't call meh Princess, and shut up, Frosty."

I felt a thrill of excitement. "Let's do it!" I whispered, bouncing lightly on my toes.

Hiccup sighed, but slowly nodded his head. I squealed quietly and hugged him.

"Let's go, Jack!" I told Jack.

"Uh, okay," Jack said. "But first . . . can you guys tell me where exactly the teachers' lounge _is_? Remember, I'm new here, so I don't exactly know the ropes yet."

"Of course," I replied, before Merida could insult him and make him look like a fool. I lead the way, through the winding hallways, till we finally reached the door leading to the teachers' lounge.

"Well, here it is," I told my detention mates softly. The teachers' lounge was a beautiful room, decorated with sea-foam green walls, a white shag rug, paintings on the walls, cushy red and black sofas, ceiling lamps, and two large flat-screen TVs. It was ultra-modern, super-luxurious.

"There's the coffee machine." Hiccup pointed to a black metal coffee machine. Quickly and silently, we switched out the coffee that was already brewing and poured in the Red Bull. When the job was done, we tossed the cans into the very bottom of the recycling bin and crept out.

When we were safely out of range of the teachers' lounge, Jack laughed out loud. "See, it was just a harmless prank! I can't wait to see the look on Mr. Crood's face when he drinks it!" Quickly though, he halted.

"Jack?" Hiccup ventured. "What's up?" Jack didn't respond.

I went up to Jack and whispered into his ear, "Jack? What's wrong?"

"Shh," he whispered back. "I hear something." We pressed ourselves against the wall and listened. I faintly heard the low squeaks of shoes on a polished floor."

Jack's eyes widened. "Shit, he's back early."

"Who? Mr. Black?" Merida asked.

Jack nodded, his eyes frantic. "We've gotta get back to the detention room before Pitch does. Or else it's game over for us."

My eyes were wide open. I was scared. Jack reached for my hand. "It's okay, Punz," he whispered to me gently. "We'll be okay." I nodded.

Slowly, the four of us tip-toed through the hallways till we reached the detention room. Hiccup grabbed the door handle and swung the door open so we could run back in. Only to face Mr. Black.

Merida cursed in Scottish under her breath. I felt like crumpling to the floor. "Mr. Black," I whispered.

The teacher grinned wickedly. "Ah, so you four have been exploring the school while I was gone, haven't you? Doing who knows what? Well, that's a serious offense, you know. Which results in all of you receiving another week's detention."

My eyes widened. A _week's_ detention?! Mother would be furious if she found out! Before I'd walked to detention, I had called her and told her that I had joined a first-day-of-school girl group that helped freshmen girls get accustomed to high school. She had believed me, and now I didn't know how to cover up next week's. I felt like fainting.

If I felt weak, Merida felt enraged. "Yah can't just give us a week ah detention! Ah have all ah mah sports auditions after school next week, end ah also have horseback ridin' every other day!"

Hiccup nodded faintly, as if just barely grasping onto reality. I felt the same. Only Jack looked relaxed. "Guys, chill," he told us calmly. "I've been in detention for over 2 months at a time. This'll be a breeze!"

Mr. Black raised his eyebrows-no, wait. He didn't HAVE eyebrows! I just noticed it. Well, he raised the skin where his eyebrows should've been. "Oh, Mr. Frost? Would you like to have even MORE?"

Jack shook his head, still grinning. "No thanks, Pitch. I've got my own stuff to do. But thanks for the kind offer."

Mr. Black swore under his breath, but muttered, "Detention dismissed." We four grabbed our bags and ran out the building.

We slowed our run to a walk when we reached the school's parking lot. We looked at each other. "So, this is it, then," Hiccup said slowly.

"Yep," Merida and I said in unison.

"I guess we'll all see each other tomorrow at school, and at detention next week," I told them.

Jack smirked. "I never had so many buddies in detention before. Usually it was just me and this boring old teacher I nicknamed Dr. Lame-o." I laughed at that.

"Ah guess ah'll just head home now," Merida said after an awkward silence.

"Yeah, I better head home, too," Hiccup agreed.

I nodded. "Mother will be angry at me if I stay too late. She thinks I'm at this meeting where I'm helping freshmen girls get used to high school." Jack hooted.

"That's a riot, Punzie! Did she even believe that?" Jack was laughing so hard he almost fell onto the pavement.

"Of course she did! Otherwise I wouldn't be here now, would I?" My cheeks felt hot and I knew I was blushing a deep red.

Jack stopped laughing. "Seriously?" I nodded. "Wow, she's gullible." He shook his head.

"Well, if ya are all just gonna be chatting, that's fine with meh, but ah gotta get home. See yah, lads." Merida turned on her heel and strode towards a fancy orange Lamborghini. She waved her keys to us as she climbed into her car, then drove away.

"I gotta go, too." Hiccup nodded towards a black Kia. "Bye, Rapunzel. See you tomorrow, Jack." He strode towards the car, leaving Jack and me alone.

"So, we're not going to have detention the rest of the week, right?" I asked Jack, just to make conversation.

"Nope. But we ARE going to have it all of next week, though," he replied.

I groaned. "I've never gotten in trouble before. This sucks."

Jack smirked. "Don't worry. When you're like me, you get used to it."

"But I don't _want_ to get used to it!" I whined. "I hate getting in trouble!"

Jack winked at me. "Don't you worry, Punzie. You will get used to it." And without another word, he picked up his skateboard and wheeled down the block. When he reached the intersection, he stopped, flipped off his board, and turned back to wave to me. I waved back and walked down the street back home. I was dreading having to face my mother when I got home . . .

* * *

"Mother, I'm home!" I called, setting my keys down onto the mahogany table by the door. I slipped off my shoes, gently placing them on the rug in front of the door.

"Rapunzel?" My mother's voice floated down the stairs.

"Yes, Mother, I'm back!" I climbed the stairs, hefting my canvas tote over my shoulder.

"Rapunzel?" There was my mother, in a fluffy dark blue bathrobe. "Rapunzel, dear flower!" She rushed towards me, embracing me in her hug. "Oh, flower, I thought you had been kidnapped or worse! I thought you said that little gathering was only for a few hours!"

I glanced at my pink watch. "Yes, Mother, it was only for two and a half hours. I told you that, remember?"

Mother nodded slowly. "Yes, of course, dear."

She looked so frightened I hated to lie to her even more, but I had to. "Mother . . ." I said slowly. "The other girls in the group told me that we have to do it again all next week after school. Is that okay?"

Mother looked at me. "Flower . . .why are you all of a sudden into these sort of things? Before you were only into cheerleading and chorale."

I gulped, keeping my head low. "Well, Mother," I said, trying hard not to mumble. "I remember what it felt like to be new to high school, and I just wanted to help these poor girls out . . . I didn't know about it last year, so I didn't do it then and-and Mother, I just-Ijust want to feel like I'm doing something right!" I burst out. Tears pooled in my eyes.

Mother pulled me into her arms. "Okay, my flower, okay," she whispered. "I know that you're doing the right thing, and I love you for that." Then she held me at arms length and smiled. "Now wash up for dinner then do your homework. We're having hazelnut soup for dinner!"

"Oh, great," I muttered.

Mother frowned. "Rapunzel," she warned. "Remember how I feel about the mumbling."

I remembered. "Yes, Mother," I said. The memory was clear in my head.

The last time I had mumbled, I was in ninth grade. I had been nervous about school and was mumbling so often it had irritated Mother so much that she lashed out, shouting. She slapped me clear across the face. My eyes had widened. The only other time Mother had hit me was when I had been 11 years old. Mother had stared in shock at her hand, and ordered me, in a terrible voice, "Go to your room." I had run up to my bedroom and lay on my mattress, sobbing. The next day we both acted as if nothing had happened at all, though my face had still been pink.

I turned away and walked down the hallway into my bedroom. Carefully shutting my door, I dumped my bag on the floor and grabbed my iPod. I cranked up the volume and laid on my bed as Demi Lovato filled my head. I sat down at my computer desk and turned on my Mac. I watched weird music videos on YouTube until my mother called me down. I took my ear buds out and went down the stairs.

Dinner was uneventful, as usual, with just us staring at the news, then me cleaning up afterwards. I ran upstairs to brush my teeth and change into my PJ's, then dove into what little homework I had. When I was done, I IMed with Mavis about the upcoming Welcome Back Dance next month.

**Mavis: so, who do u think i'll go with this year?**

Me: I dunno. You go with a blind date EVERY SINGLE YEAR!

**True. but u always go with flynn. you guys have been together FOREVS!**

No, Mavis. Flynn and I have only been together since 8th grade. :)

**Still, longest relationship in our school EVER. u 2 r perfect 4 each other! 3 :D:D:D:D**

So what? Mavis, I know you'll find the perfect guy someday.

**Someday. but not 2day. or 2morrow. or by the dance. oh, my dad's calling me. he said something about dishes and tables. better go see what he needs help with. *rolls eyes* bye, rapunzel. see u 2morrow!**

Bye, Mavis! Have fun with the dishes and tables! xoxoxoxoxo

I shut my phone off and fell fast asleep, my mind filled with dreams about me and Flynn at the Welcome Back dance.

**A/N: In DisneyWiki, it listed the nicknames for Merida. One of them was "Princess". It didn't feel right for Jack to call her "lass" or "lassie", 'cause he doesn't talk like that. So Princess was what stuck out the most, and fit Jack the best. Just for you readers to know. :)**


	6. Too Much In A Day!

Chapter 6

Jack Frost

I was skateboarding to school the next day when a girl came out of nowhere in front of me. I almost fell off my board.

"Oh!" she squealed, stumbling backwards.

"Sorry 'bout that," I apologized. I got a better look at her. Her hair was white-blonde, not as white as mine, but still white-ish, and in a braid wrapped around her head, held together by a crown-shaped headband her eyes were a deep blue, and her skin was pale. She was wearing a green dress that was black around her throat and on her sleeves. I helped her get up from the sidewalk.

"It's okay," she reassured me. "I'm Elsa, by the way. Elsa Arendelle."

"I'm Jack Frost," I told her.

She smiled. "Like the winter spirit?"

I ruffled my hair. "Yeah, kinda."

Elsa laughed. "Well, that's cool. Oh, sorry, but I have to be on my way. I'm on the student council committee and I need to be at a meeting today. It was nice meeting you, though, Jack!" She walked away.

I stared after her. She seemed cool . . . but I needed to get to class before I got yet another week of detention.

When I reached my locker, I noticed Hiccup standing in front of it."Hey, Hic, what's up?" I asked him.

"Nothing much, Jack," Hiccup replied. "Just finished studying for the Calculus quiz I have today."

"You have a quiz today?" I asked him, my eyebrows raised. "It's only the second day of school!"

Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, Mr. Arthure can be pretty strict. But he's really smart, and he knows what he's doing."

I shook my head. "Never thought I'd say I'm happy to have Mr. Crood." We both laughed. I dumped my backpack into my locker and grabbed my stuff.

"Hey, where do you think YOU'RE going?" came a rough voice from behind us.

"Tuffnut," Hiccup muttered, turning around to face the blonde boy. "What do you want?"

"My lunch money," Tuffnut growled. "You owe me from yesterday."

"He didn't take your freaking lunch money," I shot.

Tuffnut turned to me. "Shut up, _Frost_." He said my last name as if it was gum stuck on the bottom of his shoe and he couldn't get it off.

"Well, I'm right, aren't I?" I countered. "So you shut the hell up, you blonde idiot."

Tuffnut growled again and looked like he was about to say more when someone who looked exactly like him strode up to the three of us.

"Tuffnut!" The person was a girl, I could see that their features were different, and she had braids going down her shoulders. She had a rough voice like him, but it was easy to tell that she was a girl. "What did I tell you about pickin' on the other kids? Ma is gonna be SO mad at you!"

"You're not going to tell her, are you?" Tuffnut looked scared. "Don't tell her!" He ran off.

Hiccup looked relieved. "Thanks, Ruffnut," he told the girl.

Ruffnut just shrugged. "I overheard him talking with his buddies about Astrid. Ever since she broke up with you, I've felt kinda bad for ya, since she did it in front of everyone." She seemed to notice me. "Who's this guy?"

"Ruffnut, this is Jack Frost. Jack, this Ruffnut Thorston, Tuffnut Thorston's twin sister." Hiccup said.

"Nice to meet ya," Ruffnut said. "But I gotta go to class now. See you guys." She walked off, more gracefully than I thought she could be.

"Well, we'd better get to class," Hiccup said, nudging me in the shoulder. "I wanna get out of here before Tuffnut or his gang comes back."

"Why?" I teased. "You've got a _girl_ covering you." Hiccup shoved me in the shoulder and I shoved him back, hard enough for him to fly into a wall.

"Ouch. That hurt." He rubbed his sore shoulder.

"C'mon, Hic! You've got to become more of a man!" I said, only half teasing.

"You sound exactly like my dad . . ." Hiccup muttered as we slid into our seats.

The rest of class was uneventful, with Miss Murphy chattering about chemistry and what-not. All I remembered was the bell ringing and me heading to Math class . . .

* * *

I sat in the back, as usual. When she walked through the door, Rapunzel spotted me and immediately came over and sat in the seat next to me.

"Hi, Jack!" she said cheerfully.

"Hey, Punzie," I replied, smirking.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "You're STILL not letting that go, are you, Jack?"

"Nope," I said, grinning. She shoved me playfully and I nudged her back. She giggled.

Then her expression turned serious. "So, Jack . . . did you know that there's going to be a dance next month? The Welcome Back Dance?"

I shook my head. "Nope. No one ever mentioned it to me and my mom probably won't get a notice until a few weeks later."

"Are you thinking of going with anyone?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

"Nope. Cut me some slack, Punz! It's only the second day of school! I barely know anyone! How do girls get so worked up over things like these?" Something suddenly dawned on me. "Why? Do you you want me to go with you?" A mischievous smile played on my lips.

Rapunzel flushed red. "N-no, of course not, Jack! Don't be ridiculous! I have a boyfriend!"

I waggled my eyebrows at her. "Sure, Punzie, sure."

She frowned at me, but just then Mr. Crood came in to tell us about a pop quiz we'd be having today. I groaned and put my head down on the desk. What was it with math teachers and quizzes and tests?

By the time Math class was over, I had only finished half of my quiz. I knew that I had probably failed it, and my mom would NOT be happy about that. But I didn't really care, since it was the first quiz of the year. I could make it up. I passed up my paper and stood up to leave.

Rapunzel grabbed my arm. "Jack, I could set you up with a date for someone for the dance!"

"No thanks, Rapunzel, but I HATE being set up. I prefer to be the loner I am, thank you very much." I held my books under my arm and walked out of class.

A girl with blonde hair in side bangs yanked me out of the hallway and into a dark corridor. "You're friends with Hiccup, right?" she hissed.

"Uh, yeah," I replied, feeling disoriented. I had no idea where I was.

"I'm Astrid Hofferson-" she began.

"You! You were the one who broke up with Hiccup in public!" I yelled at her angrily.

She put her hand over my mouth. "Shut up!" she whisper-yelled. "I didn't break up with him. We just had a big fight in the middle of the hallway and he said he didn't want to do this anymore and just walked away! So I just shouted at him, 'So we're breaking up, then!' And he didn't say anything. I just wanted to know . . . if he's still interested in me?"

I quirked my eyebrow at her. "Nope, he's not interested in you anymore. Told me himself," I lied.

Astrid's shoulders seemed to slump, then she quickly got back into character. "Fine! Tell him that I don't give a damn about him and he can go die in hell!" She remembered to be quiet, though, so the words didn't have the same effect.

"Sure," I said carelessly, walking off. When I found Hiccup, I relayed Astrid's message to him.

Hiccup crumpled the paper he was holding in his fist. "_I knew it_," he said in a low voice. "I _knew_ it! She never cared about me! It was all just a show!"

"Calm down, Hiccup. Wait till school's over to release all that anger!" I told him.

He seemed to calm down a little. "Okay, you're right, Jack," he said. "I'll take it out on my dad's punching bag."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your dad-"

"My dad's the chief police officer of Berk County," Hiccup explained. "He won the spot through capturing the most criminals and by bullying the others ahead of him to give him the spot."

"Cool," I replied. "My mom is a lawyer at the Judicial Building in Berk City." We both cracked up at how different our parents' jobs were.

"You know, Merida's dad is the mayor of Berk, and Rapunzel's mother is a hairdresser," Hiccup said thoughtfully. "Our parents really are different."

"Yeah," I agreed. I was about to say more when a large boy with stringy blonde hair came bounding over.

"Hiccup!" the boy gasped, trying to catch his breath. "The latest-latest video game-huh, Dragon Warriors-huff just came out!"

Hiccup gasped out loud. "NO WAY! That's a limited edition! We have to get it by the end of the school day!"

The boy nodded. "I know-huff, I just wanted to ask you-huff to see if-huh you could give me a ride?"

"Sure thing, Fishlegs," Hiccup smiled warmly. The boy smiled and ran off.

"So, who was that?" I asked.

"Hmm? Oh, that was Fishlegs, my best friend since I was in 9th grade. He and I are both obsessed with dragon video games. The latest one just came out today!"

"Hiccup," I shook my head. "You're such a nerd."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Hiccup said. "But seriously, though. We have to get to class. Look." He gestured to the rapidly-emptying hallway.

"Crap," I said. "I have Gym next! See ya later, Hic!" I called over my shoulder, sprinting down the hallway.

When I reached the locker room, I changed into my gym uniform: a white shirt, black mesh shorts, and my black and blue sneakers. I walked into the gym and found some guys shooting baskets and a bunch of girls standing around talking.

A guy missing a leg and arm ran in. "All right, lads and lasses!" he bellowed. "I'm Coach Gobber, your gym teacher and coach of all the boys' sports teams. Today we'll be doing free choice! Ye can either do free shots, four square, volleyball, or walk around the perimeter of the gym. But you all have ta be doing something, all right? Good! Now go!"

I saw Rapunzel walking along with her friends and was about to go over and say hi, when a tall brown-haired guy walked over and put his arm around her!

"Hi, Flynn," Rapunzel giggled.

"Hey, Blondie," the guy replied, kissing her forehead. So, this was the guy Punz had told me about. He was her boyfriend? "Listen, sorry if it sounds like I'm abandoning you, but me and some of the guys are gonna be shooting hoops. See you after your cheer practice, okay?"

"Sure thing." She smiled at him, giving him one more squeeze before he left and went over to shoot some baskets. I mustered up the courage, taking a deep breath, before walking over to her and tapping her shoulder.

"Oh! Hi, Jack," Rapunzel said, smiling at me when she saw me. "I didn't know you were in this class!"

"Yeah, well neither did I, so I guess we were both in for a surprise, weren't we?" I said, smirking at her.

Punzie laughed. "I guess so." Then, seeming to notice the puzzled looks on her friends' faces, she said, "Oh, sorry, guys! Jack, these are Heather, Mavis, and Ruffnut. Girls, this is Jack."

Ruffnut nodded. "We met already."

Rapunzel looked puzzled. "How?"

"Let's just say it involved Tuffnut, Hiccup, and lunch money," I replied.

Punzie nodded. "Ah. That explains it. Would you like to walk with us?"

I smirked. "Aren't I already doing that?"

Heather laughed. "He has a point, Rapunzel."

Rapunzel just shrugged. "Anyways, girls. We _still_ haven't decided what the theme should be for the Welcome Back Dance!"

I stared at her. "What?"

Mavis explained, "We're on the dance committee this year. Each year, the committee has to think up a different theme that no one has ever done before. It's a bit exhausting, if you think about it."

"Oh, cool," I answered. "So, what are you girls thinking of?"

"Flowers!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "It'll be a floral dance with tons and tons of flowers! Isn't that just marvelous?" She swooned, gazing off dreamily into space.

"Um, that sounds great, Punzie, but . . .um, I doubt that the guys really like flowers that much and plus-aren't there some people who are _allergic_ to flowers?" I asked.

"Oh no!" she groaned. "I _totally_ didn't remember to think about that! Sorry, girls. Looks like we're back to square one."

But Heather, Ruffnut, and Mavis were all looking between her and me. "_Punzie_?" Mavis choked out.

"Yeah, that's my special reserved nickname for her," I replied, then waggled my eyebrows at Punz.

She swatted me, then laughed. "Shut up, Frost. It's okay, girls. Jack and I met in detention yesterday. He has a knack for giving people nicknames."

"Yeah," I chimed in. "Like . . . Mavis, your new nickname is Mav, Heather, yours is Heaths, and Ruffnut's is . . . Ruffie."

Ruffnut glared at me. "Call me that again or you might lose something important."

I put my hands up. "Okay, okay! Sheesh, I was just joking around!" The other girls laughed.

"All right, all joking aside," Punz said, "We seriously need to think up a new theme. And no, Mavis, we can't do Halloween. We're going to have a Halloween dance, too, remember?"

Heather said, " How about a fall dance? Where the gym will be decorated in reds, oranges, and yellows and everyone dresses up in the colors of fall."

"That's not a bad idea, Heather," Punzie agreed. "But the dance will be informal, so people can wear whatever they want."

"How about just a suggestion, then?" Heather said hopefully. Rapunzel nodded, smiling.

"Woo hoo!" I whooped. "Operation Welcome Back Dance is on!" The girls shoved me for being so corny, but I could see Punzie smiling at me through the flurry of arms.

**A/N: I've realized that I have been making my chapters longer lately. Is that okay? If you guys want, I can try to make them shorter. I may be adding too much detail, but I can and will shorten my chapters for the sake of my readers. :)**


	7. Preparing For The Dance

**Flash forward! I skipped the next week of detention for the Big Four 'cause I figured eh, what the heck, let's just continue the story. If I can find time, I might write a short novella about the Four's detention week after I finish this story. All of those who are in favor of that idea, please write in the reviews, "Big Four Detention Story". If I get 10 or more reviewers all for it, I'll write it. Got it? Thanks, readers! :D**

Chapter 7

Rapunzel Corona

"Okay, okay, slowly now! Easy, easy . . . EASY!" I yelled. I wiped my brow, shiny with perspiration. I was so frustrated that the two guys who were supposed to be hanging up the decorations for the dance were so careless. "MK, Eep, please tell your boyfriends to stop messing around."

The two girls nodded. "Nod!" MK (short for Mary Katherine) called over to her boyfriend. The tall, lanky brown-haired boy dressed in green looked up. "Please stop messing around! The dance is only in two weeks!" Nod nodded **(heh, see what I did there? :D)**. He started picking up some fallen streamers.

Eep shouted, "GUY!" Guy winced. He looked over at his girlfriend-he was a tall, lanky brunette, too, only skinnier than Nod and less combat skills than Eep. "Stop fooling around! We gotta get this gym looking pretty in a few weeks, and you and Nod aren't helping!" Guy shrugged and started helping Nod pick up the streamers.

I grinned at the two girls. "Ladies, you were amazing! Now we're back on track! Do you know where the others went?"

Mavis ended her call. "Heather said they were picking up some extra plates, utensils, napkins, etc. The catering people said that they'll be able to arrive two hours before the dance, so we'll have plenty of time to set the food up."

"This is going so perfectly!" I clapped my hands, my smile growing even wider. Someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned around to find Elsa, student body president.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said in her quiet, calm voice. "I did not mean to interrupt your work. Should I come back another time?"

"Oh, no, no, Elsa, it's just fine," I assured her hurriedly. "What is it?"

"Well, I was just wondering about the music. You forgot to mention that in your 4-page report of the dance." She lifted an eyebrow and I saw an amused smile tug at her lips.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, Elsa! The DJ will be Kevin and Dave Minion. They have thousands of records to play, don't worry!" I told her.

Elsa smiled, flashing her teeth. Then she covered it up with her teal gloved hand. "Excellent. I have never doubted your artistic abilities, Rapunzel. I'm sure that this year's Welcome Back Dance shall be one to never forget?"

Mavis came up from behind me. "You can be sure of that, Miss President," she said, and winked at me. "This is going to be a year no one will ever even _think_ to forget!"

Elsa laughed. "I have nothing to counter against that, Mavis. Good luck, decorators!" She waved good-bye to us and left the gym.

I sank to the floor. "Phew! I thought she was here to say that a shipment was lost, or the dance was cancelled. Thank God that wasn't the case."

Mavis rubbed my shoulders comfortingly. "You're stressing over this WAY too much, Rapunzel. Take a break sometime, 'kay?"

"Okay," I sighed.

The gym doors burst open again. I leaped ten feet into the air. Mavis shook her head.

"We're baaaaaack!" Merida called. She sprinted in, holding the door open for the boys. Hiccup was coming in backwards, carrying one end of a large cardboard box filled to the brim with supplies. Jack's face peeked out from the other side, and he grinned when he saw me, making a goofy face.

I laughed. "Hello, Merida. Boys," I nodded to them. "You guys can set that box down by the orange table."

'What orange ta-AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hiccup screamed, tripping backwards over it. He fell flat on the table, releasing the box. Jack, however, had kept a tight, firm grip on the box and was struggling to bear its weight. But unfortunately, it was too heavy for him and he dropped it right on Hiccup.

"OOF!" Hiccup looked like the wind had been knocked right out of him. "Someone . . . please . . . get . . . box . . . off . . . me . . ." he huffed.

"Oh, fer the love of," Merida muttered darkly. She stomped over to Hiccup and yanked the box right off of him like it was nothing. Hiccup inhaled deeply.

Jack grinned sheepishly at her. "Sorry, Princess. That box was pretty heavy. Right, Hic?" He placed a foot onto Hiccup's chest, causing him to say "oof" again.

"Jack! Get your foot off of Hiccup!" I commanded him. Jack took his foot off, and Merida helped Hiccup to his feet.

"Well, that was exciting, wasn't it?" Mavis stated dryly. Merida laughed.

"Ye shoulda seen us four when we were en detention!" Merida snorted. "Ah betcha never seen such rowdy lads and lassies before en yer 'hole entire life!"

"Oh, Mer," I sighed. "Do you _have_ to bring the subject of detention up again? I feel guilty every time I remember lying to my mother."

Jack winked at me. "Don't worry, Punzie! We gotcha covered."

Hiccup nodded, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. "Yeah, Rapunzel. Don't worry about it. Now come on, Jack! We gotta go help the other guys decorate!" He grabbed Jack and dragged him over to where Nod and Guy were still hard at work fixing the decor.

Heather laughed. "Rapunzel, your friends are so much fun!"

I giggled along with her. "Oh, Heather! C'mon, we've got to unpack the rest of the stuff."

Mavis, Heather, and I began unpacking the huge box full of the things we needed for the refreshments table, the photo shoot, and the DJ station. Tuffnut was busy trying to make the window decorations stick onto the windows.

The gym doors opened again. Elsa poked her head in again. "Oh, Rapunzel!" she called to me. I headed on over.

"Yes, Elsa?" I asked, sticking a pencil behind my ear and hugging Mavis's clipboard to my chest.

"I just remembered-when will the catering arrive?"

"Two hours before the dance will officially begin," I replied crisply.

Elsa sighed in relief. "Thank you, Rapunzel. You're so . . . put together and organized! I'm a mess. This dress has me completely frazzled!" She massaged her temples.

I felt bad for her. "No way are you more of a mess than I am, Elsa!" I cried. "How else would you have gotten the place as president of the SCC (Student Council Committee)?"

Elsa smiled. "Thank you very much for your reassurance, Rapunzel. Again, I'm so sorry about my interruptions."

"No need to be sorry! Here, why don't you come in and help watch over?" I suggested.

"Oh, no, I could never-" She broke off. She was staring at something over my shoulder. I looked where she was staring, but she grabbed my shoulders, turning me to face her again. "You know what? Perhaps I will help. Maybe it'll take my mind off of all the worrying."

"That's the spirit!" I told her. "It's great to just relax and have fun with your friends sometimes!" I led her inside.

"Hey, Elsa!" Heather called. she was tying a huge red ribbon on one of the basketball nets, and her boyfriend, Snotlout, was carrying her up on his shoulders.

"Hello there, Heather," Elsa nodded. "How are you today?"

I yanked Elsa's arm and whispered, "Rule number one, Elsa: don't be so formal and reserved. Loosen up a little! Show your inner self! Let it go!"

"Let it go," she repeated quietly. I nodded. "Let it go," she said, only louder. "Okay, Rapunzel! I'll try it!"

"Way to go, Elsa!" I cheered. "Now go do what you do best!" Elsa laughed and nodded, heading off to where the boys were decorating.

I went back to the cardboard box. Its contents were rapidly diminishing. At this rate, we would be done before the dance! "Great job, everyone!" I shouted to all of those who were working. "This dance will be the most spectacular one yet!"


	8. Jelsa!

Chapter 8

Jack Frost

I stretched out my arms. Nod swatted the back of my head. I grinned at him and nudged his shin with my sneaker-clad foot.

"Uh, h-hi, guys."

I looked up from my foot-fight with Nod. Nod kicked me in the calf and succeeded in creating a large purple bruise there. I glared at him, then noticed the white-blonde-haired girl standing in front of us. "Oh, hey, Elsa," I replied. "How you doing?"

She blushed. "Fine," she said quietly. "I was just-well, Rapunzel said I could help you all with the decorations."

"Did she now?" I said, raising my eyebrows in Rapunzel's direction. She rolled her eyes and pointed her pencil at me.

"Well, we could use all the help we could get," Guy told Elsa smoothly. No wonder he'd won over such an animal of a girl like Eep.

Elsa immediately brightened. "Great! Now, I think Guy and Hiccup should go try and hang up the banners. Nod, you're the most muscular of all, so you should go help carry the heavy boxes. And Jack should . . .blow up the balloons," she ordered.

"Okay," all of them said in unison. Except for me.

"Blowing up balloons?" I repeated uncertainly. "I don't know . . ."

"Don't worry, Jack," Elsa reassured me. "You can use an air pump. And plus, to make it go faster . . ." She blushed bright pink. "I can help you with them."

I smirked at her. "Geez, thanks, Arendelle." She flushed a deep red. "Let's get to work."

The rest of the afternoon, Elsa and I blew up balloons with the huge helium pumps. Near the end of the time we had, which was about 5:00-ish, she looked at me and said, "Jack."

"Hmm?" I was blowing up the last balloon.

"I was wondering . . ." Elsa turned pink again. She had been blushing a lot lately. "Would you, um, go to-to the dance . . . with me?" she stammered.

The balloon I'd been blowing up was released from my hands. It made loud sounds of air escaping from it as it flew around the gym, and I snatched it out of the air before it hit Hiccup in the face.

"Go to the dance with you?" I repeated slowly. "Why?" Apparently it was the wrong question, because it looked like Elsa might turn into a strawberry from all the blushing.

"Because I . . . I l-like you, Jack," she whispered.

"All right, then, Elsa," I said. "I'll go to the dance with you."

Elsa squeaked, then squealed, then hopped up and down in the air. She ran out of the gym, still squealing.

Rapunzel looked over at me, narrowing her eyes. I shrugged, acting nonchalant.

Hiccup walked up to me. "Hey, Jack, what was that all about?" he asked quietly.

"Tell you later, dude," I replied, not taking my stare off of Rapunzel. Finally, she turned back to talking with Mavis.

"NOW will you tell me?!" Hiccup pressed.

"Hic, I said LATER," I said irritably. He just walked away. I was about to reach for another balloon when I realized that there were no more. I was done.

* * *

I skateboarded home pretty quickly. A large black Toyota came driving up on the road next to me.

"What's up, Jack?" Hiccup leaned out the window, grinning.

I felt myself grinning back. "Nothin' much, Hic. Just going home."

"So, are you gonna tell me what happened back there with Elsa or what?"

I kept my eyes ahead in front of me. "Nothing really happened, Hic. She just asked me to the dance, that's all." I shrugged.

He whistled. "Go, Jack! Scored a date to the dance pretty quickly, huh?" I looked over at him and saw he was grinning teasingly.

"Shut up, Haddock. By the way, who's your date?" I shot back.

Hiccup lowered his eyes to the ground and parked his car by the edge of the sidewalk. "Rapunzel's friend . . . Mavis, was it? She set me up on a blind date. All she told me was that the girl was going to wear red."

"God, Hiccup!" I shouted, jumping off my board and flipping it up into my hands. "All you had to do was find a nice girl and ask her out! That was it!"

"I know, I know," Hiccup sighed. "It's just-none of the girls seem as right as Astrid does-did."

I walked over to his car and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Hic. Let's just hope the girl's pretty." I gave him a sly wink and we both cracked up.

"Well, see you, man." Hiccup started up his engine again and drove away, waving out the window. I smirked at his hand and continued on home.

* * *

"Jack!" Maddie screamed. She ran towards me and tugged at my arm. "Grandpa's here! Grandpa's here!" I laughed and let her lead me into the house. I propped my skateboard up against the wall, dropped my backpack on the floor, and kicked off my sneakers.

A large, portly man with snow-white hair and a beard in the same color was taking a freshly baked tray of cookies out of the oven.

"Hey, North!" I called to my grandfather.

"Ah, Jack Frost!" North set down the tray and enveloped me in a huge hug. "It has been too long, no?" He spoke with a thick Russian accent. "See, your cousins are here, too!" He gestured to the dining table. There sat my cousins: Sandy McSnoozie, the golden-haired young man who was no pushover even though he was short; Toothiana (Tooth), the crazy-colored-hair dentist who was in love with teeth; and E. Aster Bunnymund, the Australian athlete who was, frankly, a pain in the ass.

"Been a long time, mate," Aster said. "Easter Sunday, was it? Couple a years back, eh?"

"You're not still mad about that, are you?" I asked him, leaning against the wall.

"Yes. Yes, I am," he replied. "But this isn't about that. We all came here for a different reason."

"Hi, Jack!" Tooth fluttered on over to me. "Open up wide!" She pried my mouth open. "Oh, your teeth are as white as snow, Jack! Wonderful, you've been flossing!"

Sandy signaled, "Tooth, hands out of mouth." Sandy wasn't deaf or blind or had any disabilities. He just didn't like to talk, so he used sign language instead.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized. "They're beautiful!"

North barreled in. "Ah, Jack, you should know why we are here, no?"

"Um, no?" I said questioningly.

Aster sighed. "Ya little ankle-bitah!" he said. "We are here because-"

I interrupted him. "Sorry, Kangaroo, but I thought North wanted to explain."

"What did you call me?" Aster narrowed his eyes and put his face right in front of mine. "I'm no kangaroo, mate. I'm a Bunnymund."

Sandy pushed himself in between us and signed "Stop it, you two! Don't make me mad!" He held up a fist.

North cleared his throat. "Ahem! Now, Jack, ve all came here today to tell you good news! Ve have found jobs here en Berk! Right, Tooth?"

Tooth nodded energetically, her wild, colorful hair of gold, blue, green, and purple flying around. "Oh, yes! North has found a job at a toy-maker's shop, Sandy is helping at a school for the deaf, I found a job at Smile Bright dentists, and Aster is going to be a sports coach for football, wrestling, soccer, and other boys' sports at the middle school!"

"Great, you guys," I said sarcastically. "The Kangaroo's got a job. That's just wonderful."

Aster snarled and reached out to grab me, but Tooth grabbed him and pulled him back. "Easy, Emmett aster Bunnymund!" she told him. The tips of his ears grew pink, then red. He hated being called his full name, even more than Kangaroo. I could tell that a fight was brewing, so I swung my bag over my shoulder and sprinted up the stairs into my room, slamming my door behind me.

I threw my backpack down and leaped onto my bed. I grabbed my iPod from where it was charging on my nightstand and scrolled through the playlist. Soon Train was blaring through my ears. After a while, I thought the phone rang, so I yanked out my ear buds. My cellphone _was_ ringing. I looked at the Caller ID. _Punzie_, it read. I accepted the call and put my cell to my ear.

"Hey, Punz, what's up?" I asked her.

"JACK!" she screamed into my ear. I winced and pulled the phone away from my now-ringing ears. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD A DATE TO THE DANCE?! I had to find it out from _HICCUP_, FOR PETE'S SAKE!"

"What's wrong with Hiccup?" I wanted to know.

"_Nothing_ is wrong with Hiccup, Jack. It's YOU! Why didn't you tell me you were going to the dance with someone?! I was about to set you up with someone! Who are you going with?" Rapunzel sounded like she might burst with excitement and energy.

"I can't tell you," I said, smirking through the phone. "You'll just have to find out the night of the dance."

"UGH! Jack Frost, you are SO aggravating!" she practically screamed in frustration.

"Thanks, I know." I felt my grin growing even bigger.

"I can feel you smiling through the phone, Frost!" Rapunzel said. "Just shut up and wipe that stupid smirk off your stupid face!" Then she hung up.

I hung up, too, then stared at the phone for a few seconds. Then I started cracking up.**  
**

**A/N: Yes! I finally managed to finish this chapter! (I have been dragging it out for about a week and a half) I am planning for the next chapter: the dance that has been so long awaited for! But you know me and my planning *rolls eyes* and I might get sidetracked a little. I have a bunch of homework to do, and then I'm helping my BFFs with a project. I promise to let out my next chapter ASAP!**


	9. The Dance At Last!

**All right, everybody! The dance is FINALLY here! For this chapter, I decided it wouldn't be right to just have _one_ perspective, so . . . *drum roll in background* this chapter is both Rapunzel's AND Jack's! It interchanges repeatedly, so if any of you feel confuzzled by the changes in those talking, then I'll give you a cheat-sheet and put the person's perspective at the top of the section. Happy reading! And remember, I DO NOT SHIP JELSA! I SHIP JACKUNZEL AND HELSA. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.  
**

Chapter 9

Rapunzel Corona

"NO MORE BLACK!" I yelled for the hundredth time at Mavis and Merida. Mavis wanted to wear black lipstick, black eyeshadow, etc., and Merida had agreed with the dark-colored makeup. "Can't you choose some reds or pinks or yellows?"

Mavis sighed, but relented. "Fine, Rapunzel. We'll wear lighter colors. But I still get to keep the black eyeliner and mascara. Deal?" I nodded.

"Ah guess ah can wear not as dark stuff. Ah guess." Merida shrugged.

Merida chose red lipstick, forest green eye shadow, brown mascara, and dark blue earring studs. It went perfectly with her dark blue jeans, dark green shirt, dark grey sandals, and purple armbands.

Mavis was wearing a lacy black top, black skirt, and royal blue espadrilles. Her black hair was curled and hung in cute wavelets. Her black mascara and eyeliner made her blue eyes stand out and her raspberry-colored lips pulled back into a grin.

"See, you guys?" Heather stood behind me, brushing her hair. "You should use lighter tones more often. RIGHT, Mavis?"

Mavis nudged Heather playfully, and Heather swatted at Mavis with her hairbrush. The two giggled. Elsa joined in. We had invited her, and her sister Anna, over to my house because we felt like she needed a break from all the stress she'd been through, preparing for the dance.

Anna twirled in front of the mirror. Does this look fancy enough?" She was wearing a pretty, spring green dress with a matching ribbon in her hair and dark green ballet flats.

I laughed. "Anna, this isn't a formal! You don't have to dress up! The dance is casual, right, Elsa?"

"Yes, Anna. You could even wear jeans if you wanted to!" Elsa gestured towards Merida and we all burst out laughing.

"Well, I don't care," Anna replied stubbornly. "I want to look good for Hans tonight. It's our first date!" Elsa smiled and rolled her eyes. She was wearing a simple teal skirt, a black shirt with ruffles on the shoulders, and silvery low-heels.

Merida said, "Ah don't care a fuck what all a yah boyfriends ah doing 'cause mah mum picked out mah own boyfriend, and he's as annoying as hell. Ah just want tae slap 'im every time 'e talks!"

Mavis nodded. "Macintosh _is_ such a pain in the ass," she agreed. "I mean, like, you know Audrey, right? Who's now dating Ted, Once-ler's best friend?" We nodded. "Well, she used to date him, and she complained _constantly_ about him. Like, she's SO super nice! She never complains, EVER, so Macintosh was a HUGE jerk to her, and she kept telling me how arrogant and in love with himself he was. She hates him."

I finished applying my lip gloss, then put the cap back on. I was wearing a flowery lilac dress, pink leather ballet flats, and my hair was braided down my back and adorned with flower barrettes. "So, girls, enough chit-chat. Who are your dates to the dance?"

"Once-ler," Mavis said. Her cheeks flushed pink slightly.

"Macintosh," Merida said grumpily.

"Snotlout!" Heather twirled around happily. Her cocoa-brown dress swished around her thighs as she danced around in her short green boots.

"Hans!" Anna joined Heather in twirling.

"Flynn." I smiled, blushing when I said his name.

Elsa didn't say anything.

"Uh, Elsa?" I asked her. She looked up at me. "Who are you going to the dance with?"

A small smile played on her lips. "He told me not to tell anyone. Not even Anna," was her reply.

I was about to press further when my mother called from downstairs. "Rapunzel!" she said. "Let your friends come on downstairs! It's photo time! I've got the special camera out!" All of her sentences ended in exclamations.

"Coming, Mother!" I shouted back. I turned towards my friends. "You girls ready?" I asked them. They nodded. Anna looked like she might pass out from excitement. "Let's go!" I led them down the stairs, slowly for a more dramatic entrance.

The gasps from our parents were so loud. Bright flashes off lights blinded me. When I'd blinked away the spots, though, I saw someone who made us all gasp.

"Ruffnut! You made it!" Heather shrieked, tackling the poor girl into a hug. After a few seconds, we all piled into a hug with her.

"Youch," Ruffnut winced. "Seriously, guys? You're gonna give me bruises tonight!"

I giggled. "Sorry, Ruffnut. But you said you couldn't make it tonight . . ."

Ruffnut snorted. "Yah, that's what I thought before, but then Tuffnut's date got another guy, so he was able to drive me. It really sucks when your parents only buy you and your twin brother one car. TO SHARE," she added. "But that doesn't matter. I'm hear now, aren't I? So let's get this show on the road!" We followed her outside.

"Oi, but ah only got a few pictures!" Mrs. DunBroch, Merida's mom complained.

"Rapunzel! Girls! Come back, we need more pictures of you!" Mother protested. But we were already piling into Ruffnut's and Merida's cars. We drove off, waving to our parents through the sunroof and windows. The night had officially begun.

* * *

Jack Frost

"Dude, hold still, will ya?"

I was busy trying to tie Hiccup's bow tie on correctly, but he kept squirming.

"Sorry," he told me, "I'm just anxious to see who my date is! Mavis is shut tighter than the dragon's mouth in level 13 of-" He broke off, seeing my expression. "Oh, yeah. Just forget about it. I'll shut up."

"Good." I chuckled. "Maybe then I'll finally get this damn tie tied." I finally did, though, and stood back to survey my handiwork. Even though Rapunzel and I had repeatedly told Hiccup that it was a casual dance, he'd refused to listen. I finally just gave up on it and let him wear the suit and freaking bow tie. I was wearing dress trousers, a tuxedo jacket, a blue shirt, and my white-and-blue Converse Chuck Taylors. North had advised me to dress casually, but not TOO laid-back. Aster had just said, "Try not to look like an asshole."

"Ready, Hic?" I asked him over my shoulder. I was already halfway out the door.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He was muttering something under his breath about the quadratic formula. I shook my head. _Nerds_, I thought.

"Ah, Hiccup!" Stoick, his dad, bellowed. Hiccup's dad was big. Like, really big. He was 7'9" and not afraid to say so, and weighed over 150 pounds. He had this really deep voice that scared the hell out of me every time he sneaked up on me. "You look more like a man and less like a human dumbbell!"

Hiccup winced. "Thanks, dad?"

Stoick chuckled, then turned to me. "And you, Jack!" he shouted. I cringed. "You look like a man, too!"

"Uh, thanks, Stoick," I replied. "Hiccup, we gotta go now or we'll be late." Hiccup nodded and grabbed his keys. We both ran out the door.

"Your dad scares me, man," I told Hiccup as we climbed into his car.

Hiccup nodded and groaned. "He always says stuff like that. Like, you're not muscular enough, you need to get buff, try lifting weights at least half your size . . . it's pretty annoying."

"I bet it does, but Hic, he's your dad," I pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Frost." He smiled.

"Welcome, Haddock." I grinned back. "Hey, we're here. Pull into that space, dude!"

"Why?" Hiccup wanted to know. "It's a pretty far walk from the school."

"Because when all the fangirls come running, we can make a quick getaway!" I explained, causing Hiccup to crack up. But he parked there anyway.

When I got out of the car, though, he remained glued to his seat. "C'mon, Hic!" I said, yanking the driver's side door open. I grabbed him and hauled him out, slamming the door.

Hiccup seemed to wake out of his trance. "W-what?"

"You almost tripped over a pothole and I saved you," I remarked sarcastically, rolling my eyes. Hiccup punched me in the shoulder.

"Shut up, Frost," he shot back, but I was laughing, and he joined in, too. That was when I noticed what Hiccup had been staring at. Three cars were parked all in a row, and as I stared, a bunch of girls came streaming out. I saw Elsa come out of a car and made my way over there, dragging a limp Hiccup behind me.

"Hey, Elsa," I greeted her casually. She whipped around, then seeing that it was me, relaxed and smiled.

"Hi, Jack. How's it going?" she asked conversationally.

"Pretty good so far, besides the fact Hiccup was drooling over you girls and I had to drag him out of his car," I quipped. Elsa laughed appreciatively. The other girls, having overheard, all laughed as well. Hiccup turned bright red and muttered something under his breath as we all went into the building. I held Elsa's hand as we walked. I saw Rapunzel's eyes widen out of the corner of my eye, and she whispered something to Mavis. The two giggled and trotted after us.

A nice, danceable song was playing as we entered the gym. I grabbed Elsa's other hand and immediately swung her into the dance. We danced around a little awkwardly, but we were both laughing and breathing hard at the end of it.

"Want to go get some punch?" I shouted to be heard in the loud gymnasium. Elsa nodded and followed me wordlessly to the refreshments table. There, a couple was making out by the punch bowl.

"Dude, go find someplace else," I told the guy, bumping his shoulder. Elsa looked over at the two and gasped.

"_Anna_?!" she choked out.

Anna glanced over at her sister. "Oh, hey, Elsa," she said nonchalantly. "Have you met my boyfriend Hans yet? He's new this year, and we experienced true love at first sight." They both gazed adoringly into each other's eyes.

"Sheesh, you two," I said, carrying two plastic cups of punch. I handed one to Elsa, and she took it without drinking it. I downed mine in one gulp. "A little less PDA, thank you very much." Hans glared at me, but bowed to Elsa.

"My apologies if I have been rude to you, my lady," he said, flashing a white-toothed smile at my date. "Anna and I just both have this deep, burning passion for each other, and we could not control ourselves. Forgive me."

"Us," Anna corrected him.

"Us." Hans placed his gloved hands over Anna's small ones and led her off onto the dance floor. But I did see him look back at Elsa once, and I slipped my arm around her waist protectively.

"Wanna go dance so more?" I asked her.

She shook her head no. "Is it okay if we go sit by the sidelines? I need to absorb what just happened these past few minutes." I nodded and we both made our way over to some chairs on one side of the dance floor.

Rapunzel was there. She batted her eyelashes at us. "So how are the two resident lovebirds doing?" she cooed. Then, noticing Elsa's distraught expression, her face softened. "What happened, Els?"

_Els_? Was that Elsa's new nickname? Hmm, I didn't know Elsa and Rapunzel were friends. Very interesting . . .

* * *

Rapunzel

Elsa's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Rapunzel, I just met Anna's boyfriend! He seems so nice and polite, but it's just like Anna to jump into a relationship and then get her heart broken. I don't want it to happen to her again!" She started sobbing, her mascara running down her face. I pulled her into a hug, and Jack just stood there off to the side, looking around awkwardly.

"Shh, Elsa," I said soothingly. "It's going to be all right, dear." My friends had always said I'd been motherly and kind, and I was grateful for that now. "Anna may be headstrong, but she is wise, sweet, caring, beautiful, and everything a boy could ever want. But you have to trust her. Without trust, this world we live in might be destroyed. So, can you do that? For me?" I looked at her, making my green eyes as huge as possible. Another one of my traits that came in handy in situations like these.

"For me?" Jack asked. I looked up to see him crouch down next to Elsa. She nodded, sniffling. I handed her some tissues and she blew her nose, wiping away her tears and runny mascara.

Flynn appeared in front of us. "Hey, Blond-" he stopped, and saw the three of us sitting on the floor. "-ie," he finished. "Er, wanna dance?" he asked me awkwardly.

I glanced over at Elsa hesitantly, but she waved me away. "You go, Rapunzel. Have fun with your boyfriend! Don't worry about me, Jack's here to keep me company."

I nodded. "You sure?" Elsa crossed her arms, and I laughed. "Okay, Els. Let's go dance, Flynn!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor just as a new song started. The last song had been really tiring, and so everyone who had danced the last dance were either chilling by the refreshments table, or sitting by the sidelines. An energetic beat came on and I started dancing around, my long braid flying around behind me. I motioned for Flynn to join me, but he held up a hand to say, "I'll pass."

I danced over to a freshman boy and took his hands in mine. We started to dance around. I grabbed the hands of a junior girl and pulled her along as she pulled along a sophomore girl in my grade and a senior boy. More people joined in with the dancing. We all clapped our hands in the air to the beat as we swung through each others' arms. I motioned again for Flynn to join us, and he said no again, but one of his friends shoved him in and he got swept up in the current of dancers. When the music finally ended, Flynn and I met up together and kissed, right on the spot. We were not those who were afraid of PDA. Flynn led me back to where Jack and Elsa still sat, and went off in search of refreshments for us.

"You were great, Rapunzel!" Elsa told me enthusiastically. "I would never have the nerve to dance in front of everyone like that, let alone get them to dance with me!"

"Yeah, Punzie." Jack smirked. "Maybe you should become a dancer."

"Shut up, Frost." I rolled my eyes at him and shoved him in the shoulder. "You already know that I want to be an artist."

Flynn came back, bearing punch and potato chips. He asked Jack and Elsa if they wanted anything, just to be polite. Elsa said no, thank you. Jack, being the troublemaker he always is, told Flynn he wanted an extra-foam, whip-smart, mocha-locha sundae with extra cream and sugar shot in. Flynn screwed up his face and was like, "Uh, no." But Jack and I both cracked up, and Elsa let out a small smile. It felt perfect.

* * *

Jack Frost

I saw Hiccup standing, frozen, in the middle of the dance floor. I was about to call to him like, dude, what're you doing standing in the middle of the floor like that? when I saw a girl grab his hand. A blonde girl with choppy bangs. Who was wearing _red_.

"Hey, Elsa, Punz," I told the girls. "Will you be okay? I gotta go help Hiccup."

Rapunzel waved off my concern. "You go on, Jack. We'll be fine." Elsa nodded.

"Yeah, Frost," Flynn butted in. "These two lovely ladies've got me to protect them." His arm encircled Punzie's waist.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "If I catch you laying a _finger_ on Elsa," I said threateningly, "You are gonna get, Rider. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, dude. Chill." Flynn mock-surrendered.

Elsa pushed me towards Hiccup. "Jack, go on. Your best friend needs you. I'll be fine. Honestly." Then she got a wicked look on her face. "And if Flynn so much _looks_ at me, I'll throw an icicle at his head."

I laughed while Punz made a worried face. I shook my head at her and jogged off towards Hiccup.

"-and I'm SO super sorry, Hiccup!" Astrid was saying as I got nearer. "I thought you were breaking up with ME, and so I just-"

"You just what, Astrid?" I interrupted, crossing my arms across my chest.

Astrid glared at me. "Shut UP, Frost," she hissed at me. Hiccup just shot me a relieved look.

"How long have you been yakking my best friend's ears off, As? He's gonna get deaf soon 'cause of you," I said nonchalantly.

"Did you just call me an ASS?!" Her ears turned bright pink. "Why you little-"

"She-devil!" came a loud voice. I grinned. I'd know that Scottish accent anywhere.

Astrid glared over my shoulder. "Can it, Scottie," she growled. "I can wreck you faster than you can say 'lassie'."

"Oh, yah?" Merida challenged. "Well, ah can kill yu quicker 'an yu can say anything!" Hiccup and I cracked up.

"Guys? What's going on here?" Rapunzel. She was standing behind Merida, looking bewildered.

"We're gonna 'ave a fight-woman ta woman," Merida answered ferociously without looking at Rapunzel.

"Hey, kids!" Principal Manny came over. "What's all the ruckus?"

Astrid pointed an accusing finger at Merida. "SHE, that no-good, filthy Scot threatened to kill me!"

Merida glared at her. "Ah never woulda done such a thing, Astrid, and ya no it!"

"Merida's right," Hiccup interjected. "She's not the kind of person to threaten to murder someone."

Astrid gasped, looking shocked that Hiccup hadn't taken her side. I was quick to agree with Hiccup, and Rapunzel chorused in as well.

Principal M looked over all of us. "All right then," he said finally. "Astrid, I hate to do this at the first dance of the year, but . . . you're going to have to come with me, young lady."

Astrid glared at the four of us again, then stalked after Principal M. Hiccup sank against the wall.

"Phew!" Merida said. She slumped against the wall next to Hiccup. "Ah was ahfraid that ah mighta actually had tae do something tae hurt 'er. Ah don't really want ta hurt anybody, in truth."

"Yeah." Rapunzel crouched down next to Merida, tucking her legs beneath her. "I would've hated it if anyone had actually physically gotten hurt. I hate violence."

I leaned against the wall, next to Hiccup. "Yeah, that would've been a pretty nasty fight back there, wouldn't it have been?" Then, suddenly, an idea struck me. "Hey, why don't we all just ditch this place? 'Cause, come on, the music's bad, the food's cheap, and everyone's acting weird."

Rapunzel lifted her head up. "I agree with everything Jack just said." She shot me a look. "Except for the food part." Hiccup laughed at that part.

"Why not?" he agreed. He turned to the red-head. "Merida? Are you in?"

Merida glanced up, her eyes shifting from each of her friends' faces. "Ah guess," she mumbled. "But we better get outta here soon, or ah'm gonna kill someone for real."

"Let's go, then!" I said. I was about to walk out the door when suddenly a thought struck me. "Wait a minute. What about our dates? I need to go find Elsa."

Merida snorted. "There's no way ah'm gettin' Macintosh. 'E doesn't deserve tae 'ave fun."

"I suppose Flynn wouldn't mind too much if I left." Rapunzel shrugged. "After all, he ditches class all the time to hang out with his friends."

"And my date already left." Hiccup sighed, but gave me a half-hearted smile.

"Guess that only leaves me." I grinned. "You guys go on ahead and wait for me in the parking lot. I'll catch up with you all later." Then I walked away, weaving my way through the crowd.

"Elsa!" I called, over and over again. "Elsa!"

"Jack!" I whirled around. Elsa was standing right behind me. She looked relieved. "Thank God I found you. I was looking all over for you, but I couldn't find you and-oh, Jack I was so worried something had happened to you!"

"I'm fine, Elsa," I told her, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "But Hiccup, Merida, Rapunzel, and I are going to ditch this place for some fast food. You wanna come?"

Elsa shuffled from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "Um, I'd really love to Jack . . . but . . ." she said haltingly. "My mom doesn't let me eat junk food. And she's going to pick me up soon. I'm sorry."

"Hey, no problem." I put my arm around her and kissed her forehead lightly. "I'll see you next week, Els." She blushed, but then hugged me. And I hugged her back. Then she said goodbye to me and merged back into the crowd. I made my way to the parking lot.

* * *

Hiccup honked his horn at me. "Geez, Frost!" he yelled at me through the window of his car. "How long does it take to talk to Elsa?"

I ignored his question. "She's not coming," I told him. "We can go now. Where're we going? McDonald's? Wendy's? Chick-Fil-A?"

"McDonald's," Hiccup replied. He put his car into gear and backed out of the parking lot. Then we were driving down the road, with Merida driving hot on our bumper. When we pulled into the drive-in, Hiccup ordered a premium grilled chicken sandwich with a diet coke and medium fries. I got a Big Mac with lots of ketchup and extra cheese, a Pepsi, and a large amount of fries. After we'd paid, Hiccup pulled into a vacant spot in the lot and Merida pulled her car up next to ours.

I pressed a button and held it, and the sunroof opened up. I glanced over and saw Rapunzel doing the same. She looked my way, too, and held my gaze. We both smiled at the exact same time, then laughed. I held up some packets of ketchup in the air and waved them at her. She made a face at me, but caught the ketchup packet I threw at her. She grinned craftily and squirted some ketchup into Merida's McWrap. I put a hand over my mouth to stifle the laugh that arose in my throat.

Merida was still talking on her phone. "Yah, and ah'm sorry again if yu can't all fit in Ruffnut's car, but ah'm needed at home, and yeh know mah mum. She'd blow the roof off a the school!" While she was talking, she reached for her wrap. Punzie giggled mischeviously. I smirked at her, and she hunched her shoulders, trying very hard not to laugh out loud. When Merida took a bite from her McWrap, she immediately spit it out the window.

"AUGH!" she spat. "That was DISGUSTING! Who did that?!" she demanded.

Finally, Rapunzel and I couldn't hold it back anymore. We both fell into deep fits of laughter. I was cracking up so hard, I fell onto the floor of Hiccup's car, and was literally rolling across the tiny surface. When I had calmed down enough to sit up, I poked my head out of the sunroof and waved to the two girls, with a very large grin spreading across my face. Punz poked her head out, too, and waved at me.

Then, an old dude with a fat mustache came running out of McDonald's. "Scram, ya punks!" he yelled. "You teens are so immature!" He waved a spatula in the air menacingly.

We all looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Even Merida, who was still seething over the ketchup prank.

The old guy waved his spatula in the air again. "You heard me!" he shouted. "Go now, or else I'll call the cops on ya!"

Hiccup immediately stopped laughing, and put the car into drive.

"Hey, Hic, what're you doing?" I asked him. He didn't answer; he just got the hell out of there. "Jesus, Hiccup! What the heck's going on?"

"I don't know about you, but I don't want to get arrested when I'm only 16!" Hiccup grunted.

"Aw, come on, Hic! Loosen up a little! Relax! That old dude didn't scare ya, did he?" I taunted.

Hiccup gripped the steering wheel even tighter. "Shut up, Jackson Frost," he said. "Just shut up."

* * *

Rapunzel Corona

"Sorry about the prank, Mer," I apologized to Merida quietly.

"It's all right, Rapunzel," Merida replied distractedly. After tasting the wrap, she'd thrown it out for the birds. "All ah really want tae know right now is where the fucking hell Hiccup's goin'. Ah mean, that guy wasn't really gonna call the cops. Obviously not."

"Well, maybe Hiccup didn't want to take the chance," I suggested.

Merida snorted. "Hiccup's such a wimp."

I sighed, and looked out the windshield. I saw a white head of hair poking out of Hiccup's car's sunroof! I poked my head out of the roof myself. "Jack!" I shouted to be heard over the wind, my blonde hair whipping everywhere.

Jack turned around. Spotting me, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled back, "Enjoying the view, Punzie?"

I laughed. That very moment, with my head poking out of Merida's sunroof, my arms up in the air, screaming with joy, I felt like the whole world was at peace.

**Phew! FINALLY finished this chapter! It took me over a week, and I have exceeded 4,500 words! This is my longest chapter yet! I hope you like this ending. SPOILER ALERT: POSSIBILITY OF JACKUNZEL AND HELSA NEXT CHAPTER. POSSIBLY. THERE IS A CHANCE, BUT I AM NOT CERTAIN IF I WILL OR WILL NOT. I will try to get my chapters out faster, but this one was a time-eater, and had me up all night. So, Jackunzel, Merricup, and Helsa action will come ASAP. Gracias for your time and consideration.  
**


	10. A Movie Date

Chapter 10

Jack Frost

I leaned back and passed a note to Hiccup. We had a whole conversation on that one piece of paper:

So, you still okay, Hic?

_Yeah, I'm fine. At least, I hope I am._

C'mon, Hiccup, how can you not be sure?

_I don't know. I just . . . don't know._

Tell me what's going on.

_I . . . might still like . . . her._

HER?! As in ASTRID?

_Uh, yeah . . ._

My God, Hiccup! Even after what she did to you and Merida?

_Yeah . . . I guess I'm a sucker like that._

Sheesh. Man, that's rough.

_Yeah, I know and I-_

Miss Susan towered over me. "Excuse me, Jack?" she asked pleasantly. "May I please ask what it is that you're reading?"

I shot a sort of panicked look at Hiccup. He just shrugged his shoulders and pointed to his head. Hmm. What would Hiccup say? I lifted my chin up, looking my teacher right in the eye (no easy feat, let me tell you) and said, "I am reading a very interesting article written by my best friend Hiccup for the newspaper. He wanted me to revise it for him." I managed to keep a straight face.

Miss Susan smiled. "All right, Jack, but please-no reading in class other than your textbook. Speaking of textbooks," she said, turning around to face the rest of the class, "Please flip to page 91 and read silently as I pass out your worksheets for you to work on for the rest of class. If you don't finish it, it will be assigned for homework." The whole class groaned, but I sighed in relief.

* * *

"Come on, Frost!" Gobber shouted at me from the sidelines. "Use yer arm muscles, if you have 'em!"

I rolled my eyes. It was another game of dodgeball in gym class and I was on the same team as Rapunzel and Heather. The two of them were whimpering and ducking away from the balls. I threw a ball half-heartedly and it bounced off of a girl's shoulder. She threw her ball down and walked over to our makeshift "jail cell" where she would stay until somebody else got out. That was Gobber's version of dodgeball.

"Move it, girls!" Nod commanded imperiously to Rapunzel and Heather. "We gotta make sure that no one fills up that empty jail space. NO ONE!"

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Cool your anger, dude. Take it out on the other team and hit someone in the stomach or something." Nod harrumphed, but went off to cream the other team anyways. I turned towards the girls. "Rapunzel. Heather. You two have to play, or you'll be stuck in that cell and Nod won't be a happy snowflake." I grinned at them, ruffling my hair. "So just try throwing a ball, okay? You're making the girls on our team look weak."

Heather grinned wickedly. "Oh, I'm gonna show those guys a thing or two about GIRL POWER!" She snatched a ball from one of the guys on our team and hurled it, fast and straight as a bullet, into a guy's stomach. The guy doubled over, groaning. She turned back around and flashed us both another wicked grin before flouncing off to gather more balls.

"What about you, Punzie?" I asked her, a smirk floating on my face. "Bet you can't take down as many people as I can!"

Her eyes flashed at the challenge. "You're on, Frost!" She caught a ball mid-air and slugged a guy with it.

I laughed, and we were both slamming people down with the balls. We were a powerhouse; we moved like one. We took down almost the entire opposing team. Only Flynn was still standing. He dodged he balls with amazing precision, and even succeeded taking a few of our numbers down. But Rapunzel wouldn't hit him because he was her boyfriend, and he wouldn't hit her since she was his girlfriend.

I grabbed two balls at once. "Come on, everybody!" I shouted to the entire team. "Let's finish this once and for all!" Everyone but Rapunzel picked up a ball. She gnawed on her pinky nail, then picked up a small green ball.

"I'm sorry, Flynn," she whispered, but she let out a small smile.

"Ready!" Nod yelled. "Aim! Fire!" We all threw our balls with such force, it actually literally knocked the poor guy down. But we won! We all whooped and danced around. Well, I just stood there with this idiotic grin on my face and my arms crossed. Punzie twirled over to me and gave me a big hug. I staggered back a little in surprise, but hugged her back. It was all so cheesy, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Great work, everybody!" Gobber yelled. "Remember that try-outs for the fall sports teams are next week! Coach Thorston will be with the girls, and I'll be with the boys. All right, go an' change out of yer filthy clothes!"

There was a stampede for the locker rooms.

"Hey, Hic, you gonna try out from any sports?" I asked him as I pulled my blue sweatshirt over my head.

"No, I think I'd rather just stay in Mathletes," he answered, putting his glasses back on. Then he seemed to consider it. "Actually, the Mathletes haven't really been talking to me lately. It'd be a good idea to expand my horizons."

I snorted. "Good idea, Hiccup," I teased him. "Maybe you can try out for the football team. Or, ooh, I know! The wrestling team!" I doubled over with laughter.

Hiccup just rolled his eyes at me and pulled on his brown loafers. "Just shut up." I laughed a little bit longer, then wiped my eyes and followed him out the door and up the stairs, me smiling the whole way.

* * *

"Who can tell me who started the American Revolution?" The sub asked in her whiny voice.

I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt and looked over at Elsa, who sat behind me. She looked up and smiled, making the cuckoo motion with her hand. I grinned back and winked at her. She let out a small laugh.

'How about you Mr. . . . Jackson Frost," the sub said, looking right at me.

"Uhh . . . Kevin Bacon?" I guessed. The entire class burst into laughter. Elsa was giggling a little, too. I leaned closer to her and whispered, "Oh, great, now my girlfriend's laughing at me. This day couldn't get any worse."

She just laughed some more and said, "Oh, Jack, it's just great to laugh. We all mean well. And it _was_ kind of funny."

I smiled at her, flashing my pearly-whites, then turned back around. The sub was trying to calm everyone down, but then the bell rang and everyone grabbed their books and started to leave.

"Wait!" she called out desperately. She scribbled on the board. "You have homework tonight! Pages 42-47, chapter 5 in the textbook! Use the worksheet we did today in class!" I just shrugged and gathered up my stuff.

I turned to Elsa. "Hey, Els, you ready?" I asked her. She nodded, and I put my arm around her as we walked out of class. When we parted, I said awkwardly, "Um, Elsa, I was wondering if you'd, uh, like to go see a movie with me Friday afternoon?"

She smiled. "Of course, Jack," she replied. "I'd love to." We walked back to our lockers.

* * *

"Jack, stop fidgeting!" Rapunzel put her hands on her hips and made an exasperated sound. It was three hours until my date with Elsa, and Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup were helping me get ready. Well, define "help". Rapunzel was scolding me, Hiccup was laughing at us behind Rapunzel, and Merida was busy texting on her phone.

"Can I help it?" I hooked my finger in between the blue necktie and my throat, loosening it. Rapunzel had forced me into some nice black slacks, a white collared-shirt, blue tie, and blue vest. I had argued with her for over half an hour about letting me wear my blue and white sneakers. "You're practically acting like my babysitter, Punz! I need some space, okay? It's just a movie, not some gala or Oscar premier or anything."

"True. But it's your first date with Elsa, and I am going to make sure it goes perfectly!" Rapunzel announced. She and Flynn were going to double-date with us. Hiccup didn't want a girlfriend after Astrid, and Merida had broken up with that dumb-ass Macintosh yesterday. She was going to see the Berk County Derby with Hiccup while we were at the movie theater.

"All ah'm gonna say es don't be ah bitch ," Merida said, not looking up from her phone.

Hiccup snorted. "Yes, I'm sure that's great advice, Mer," he said sarcastically. I smirked at her glare.

"Are we goin' the derby or what?" she snapped, storming outside. Hiccup hurried after her. They were taking her car, after all.

"Yeah, we better go, too." I held my arm out to Punzie in a mock gentleman manner. "May I?"

She giggled, then curtsied. "You may, my good sir." She took my arm and we walked out like that, fighting over laughs.

Hiccup was just pulling out of my driveway when he saw us. He slammed on the breaks.

"Goddamnit, Hiccup!" Merida screamed. "Why did ya have ta do that? Ah almost thew mah phone out the window!"

"Sorry, Merida," I heard him say. Then he honked his horn and stuck his head out the car window. "Hey, what're you guys doing?"

We collapsed into laughter, high-fiving each other as we made our way over to my car-a blue SUV. We both got in, me driving, her sitting in the passenger seat. I saw Hiccup shaking his head at us, then pulling out of the driveway for real.

* * *

Our first stop was Elsa's house. It was a huge, beige mansion, and when Rapunzel rang the doorbell, a man dressed in red opened up the door.

"Ah, you must be Mr. Jack Frost," he said. I nodded. "Wait just a moment. Miss Elsa shall be down shortly." He closed the door in our faces.

I quirked an eyebrow at Rapunzel, and she exchanged the same confused look with me. The door opened and Elsa came out in light blue jeans and a sparkly white tank top. She flushed when she saw me dressed up.

"Oh, I didn't know it was formal," she murmured. "I'll just go and change-"

I walked up to her and grabbed her hand. "No, no, you're beautiful with just what you're wearing." She blushed deeper. "Punzie forced me into this. If it were up to me, I'd be all sweatshirts and jeans."

She laughed. "Good to know. Now, do we go pick up Flynn?"

"Yeah," I said. We got into the car and drove to his house. He was waiting by his mailbox, looking irritated and tapping his foot. His arms were crossed. When we reached his house, I honked my horn and stuck my head out the window.

"Get in, Rider, or we're leaving without you!" I yelled.

"Finally!" he said in frustration. He stomped over and climbed into the back next to Elsa.

"Sorry, Flynn, but we got into a little traffic along the way." Rapunzel smiled apologetically.

"Fine, Blondie," Flynn replied grudgingly. "Let's just go see this stupid movie already and get it over with." He glared at me. "So move it, Frostbite!"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Rider," I said, then stomped my foot onto the gas pedal. The girls shrieked as we flew down the highway at 80 mph, and I laughed from the thrill rush.

When I parked my car in the lot at the cinema, we all got out and went to the box to buy tickets.

"Sooo . . . what movies are they showing?" Rapunzel asked eagerly.

"Hmm . . ." Elsa looked at all the pictures of the movies they were showing. "They have _The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games, _and _Divergent_. Which do you want to see?"

"The Hunger Games," Flynn and I both said at the same time. Then we both glared at each other.

"Sounds interesting enough," Elsa mused. "How much blood?"

"Not too much, but enough to give a 6 year old nightmares," I promised her.

"Swear words?" Rapunzel asked.

"Just damn and hell," Flynn replied. "There are worst words in other movies."

"The Hunger Games it is, then!" Elsa said. She walked up to the hippie-guy in the box office, asking for four tickets to see The Hunger Games. We bought two of everything, so Punzie and Flynn would share, and Elsa and I would share. Two jumbo-sized popcorns, two huge sodas with four straws, and two large bags of M&M's.

The movie began, and it was just as action-filled as Flynn and I thought. Plenty of blood and damn and hell, but pretty good. Afterwards, Rapunzel said we should all read the book. Only she and Hiccup had read it before they knew the movie was coming out.

I drove the others home, and Rapunzel came with me back to my house. There, Merida and Hiccup were standing at the front door. Merida attacked us with questions.

"What movie did ya see? How much was the popcorn? Was anyone else from our school there?" Merida wanted to know everything.

"We saw The Hunger Games, Mer!" Punzie bounced on her feet. "It was pretty good, but the book was MUCH better."

"Yeah, the book is almost always better than the movie," Hiccup added. "Speaking of books, Punzie, we have a report due in English Honors on Tuesday. We need to get to the library before it closes."

"Oh, right, thanks, Hiccup!" Rapunzel smiled warmly. "Let's go right now!" They both hurried off quickly and were soon out of sight.

I turned to Merida, an eyebrow raised. "Well, this afternoon sure went quickly," I commented. "Nothing could top it in its weirdness. Well, bye, Mer, see you tomorrow."

"Whatever, Frost." Merida smiled, though, as she walked down the street back to her house. But then she turned back around and called, "You don't think anything could top it? Well, you're wrong." Then she ran down the street.


	11. Breaking Up?

**Warning: A LOT of mature language all in one place (thanks to Miss Heather XD She's SO AWESOME!) so beware if you have sensitive ears-er, eyes, I guess.**

Chapter 11

Rapunzel Corona

"I'm so sick and tired of this!" I screamed at Flynn. "You acting like you freaking idiot know-it-all! Couples are supposed to tell each other everything! I didn't even know you're real name until now!"

We were behind Flynn's house. I had just met his mother. "Oh, you're Eugene's girlfriend?" she had asked, pumping my hand in a warm energetic handshake. "I've heard so much about you!"

"Eugene?" I had repeated, looking at Flynn questioningly. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm dating Flynn, not Eugene."

Flynn looked uncomfortable. "Yes, thanks Mom," he had said, shifting from one foot to the next. "Rapunzel, would you like to go for a walk outside with me for a few minutes?"

I had nodded wordlessly and followed him out back. That was when the fighting began.

"Well, am I supposed to like my name?" he shot back. He was getting angry, too. "I've hated the name Eugene since I was little!"

"You just-well, I was named after lettuce!" I shouted, throwing my arms up in the air in exasperation. "My mother was in love with lettuce when she named me! If you think your name's bad then-"

Flynn grabbed my hands. "You don't understand, Rapunzel," he said in a low voice. "When guys have screwy names, they change them. I wouldn't be as popular as I am now if I were Eugene Fitzherbert, now would I?"

I took a step backwards in shock. "Y-you changed your whole name just for the sake of popularity?!" I gasped.

"No, no," he was quick to correct. "I mean, who would want to be friends with a guy with a nerd name? Nerds and geeks and dorks would!"

"It doesn't matter! It's not about how cool you are, it's about how people like you for who you are!" I was so angry I felt my face turning red. "I thought you were different from all of those stuck-up jocks and gangs, but I was wrong! You're not the man I thought I was in love with!" I jabbed a finger at his chest.

Flynn's face hardened. "Listen to me, Blondie," he said firmly, holding me tight in his arms. "I don't give a shit about the world around me. I love you, and that's it." But he said it so expressionlessly, I didn't believe him.

"No." I yanked myself from his grip. He stumbled backwards in surprise. "I am _not_ your toy and I am _not_ your 'Blondie' and I most certainly am NOT your girlfriend!" I practically spat out the word "girlfriend". It disgusted me how a man could hide behind a mask for so long.

Flynn yelled, "All my life, I wanted to be this amazing, dashing guy. I used to read the tales of Flynnagin Rider! I wished to be him with all my heart, Rapunzel! He was my dream! You, of all people, should know how to dream!"

My voice got very low, very quiet. "Yes. Yes, I know how to dream, _Eugene_. But pretending to be someone you're not and wishing for a dream are _not _the same thing." Then I walked away, leaving Eugene-and our past selves-behind.

"Fine!" he called from behind me. "We're breaking up, then!" Then he stormed inside his house, slamming the door behind him. I felt tears forming in my eyes, and tried to blink them away as rapidly as I could.

* * *

"'E WHAT?!" Merida exploded with fury when I told her. We were sitting at a table outside of Starbucks and were drinking iced coffees. Well, I was. Merida was glaring into the whipped cream.

I sighed. "Mer, he just ended it. I feel like such an idiot for believing that he was a true man. I've lost my boyfriend now." No boyfriend, loss of connection with his group of friends. It happened all the time: a girl and boy start dating, and then their groups of friends become friends, then when they break up, they're no longer friends anymore. I had invited Heather, Mavis, and Ruffnut to join us for iced coffee, but they'd all declined, saying they each had stuff to do today. And Merida had nothing better to do since her athlete friends were ignoring her outside of sports ever since she, Jack, Hiccup, and I had become friends.

"Ah can't believe 'e would just do somethin' like that," she said, using her straw to pick up the whipped cream and suck it into her mouth. "'E's got some major issues. 'E es as bad as Macintosh!" She sucked more whipped cream up. "An' that's sayin' a lot."

I laughed. Even when I was said, Merida could always make me laugh.

She gave me a goofy grin. "Well, now that that's over . . ." she looked a little nervous. "Ah have somethin' ta tell ya."

I leaned closer. "Yes, Merida?"

She sucked in even more whipped cream, faster now. "Uh, ah had mah first kiss."

"WHAT?!" Now it was my turn to be shocked. "Who was it? When?"

She smiled shyly. "Yah'll just have tae guess. Al ah'm sayin' es that it happened sometime on Friday." Then she got up. "Sorry, Punzie, but ah've got horseback ridin' lessons en half an hour. Ah'll see ya tomorrow at school."

"OK, bye, Mer!" I called after her vanishing figure. I stirred my straw around in my coffee. Hmm. Who could Merida be talking about? I was contemplating over it when a figure on a skateboard wheeled up to me.

"Hey there, Punzie!" Jack said cheerfully, hopping off his board and deftly catching it with one hand. "Why are you sitting there alone?"

"Oh, Merida just left for her horseback riding lessons," I replied, brushing his question off. "Listen, Merida got her first kiss on Friday!"

Jack stared at me. "No way!" He slid into Merida's seat across from me. "Spill, Punz."

"All she said was that it was a guy and when her first kiss was." I shrugged.

"I think I know who it is." Jack got that mischievous look in his eyes and a smirk played on his lips.

"Really? Who?" I asked him excitedly.

He leaned in closer to me and whispered in my ear, "Hiccup."

I shrieked so loudly everyone looked at us. And I mean, everyone. Even the people across the street turned to stare at me. A busboy who was wiping down a table a few feet away asked me, "Are you all right, miss?"

I blushed a deep red. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you." Jack practically fell out of his seat, he was laughing so hard he was crying. I shoved him and he grabbed the arms of his chair to keep from falling off. I scoffed, then remembered what had happened today. My glares subdued and I glanced down at my espadrilles.

Jack noticed my sudden silence. "Rapunzel?" he asked, not using my nickname for once. "Are you okay?"

I sniffled, trying to contain my tears that were now trying to overwhelm my eyesight. "Fl-Flynn broke up with me," I choked out.

"Oh, Punzie." He walked around the table to hug me awkwardly. "I'm sorry."

I nodded. He was hugging me from behind, so I tried not to bang my head with his. When he released me, he looked me in the eye and asked, "Are you okay?"

I nodded again. "I'll be fine." I wiped my nose and dabbed at my eyes with a tissue. I laughed a little. "I must look like a mess right now."

"A beautiful mess," Jack said, smiling at me. Then he averted his eyes and cleared his throat. "That was just to make you feel better, by the way," he added. "Don't tell Elsa I said that, okay?"

I laughed some more, a real laugh that only my friends can bring out of me. "What's in it for me?" I teased.

"The privilege to be called Punzie for the rest of your life," he replied matter-of-factly. I grinned at him and he grinned back.

"Thanks, Jack," I told him, my smile growing even wider. "You always know how to brighten my day."

* * *

I slammed my locker door shut and faced Fl-Eugene. "I didn't end our relationship just for you to come back, blubbering like a baby, for us to get back together," I snapped.

It was Monday and I was wearing what my old foster councilor had called "confidence clothes". "Confidence clothes," she had explained, "are things that you have that boost your self-esteem. They don't even have to be clothes! It can be a saying or a picture. Anything, really that gives you confidence!"

My "confidence clothes" were different every time. I wore a light blue t-shirt, a dark blue cardigan, black jeans, strappy gold sandals, and a blue lily in my hair. I had lately started a trend among the girls of wearing a flower in my hair every day.

"Look, Blondie-" he began.

I cut him off. "Shut up, _Eugene_," I shot. "We're over. You just want your popularity back, don't you?"

He glared at me, but didn't say a word, so I knew I must've been right. Then, Heather walked up to us.

"Hey, Rapunzel!" she greeted me, flashing a dazzling smile. She glanced over at my ex-boyfriend. "Hi, Flynn," she cooed, giggling. He winked at her and she giggled even more. I wanted to remind her she had a boyfriend, Snotlout, when she spoke again. "So, you guys broke up?" she asked, looking at me sympathetically.

"Yep," I confirmed. "And Heather, just so you know, I did the breaking up, not him. I found out that he was a complete jerkhead and didn't want to be with him anymore."

Heather was done flirting with Flynn and became one of my best friends again. She glared at him and poked him in the chest. "What did you do to my best friend?" she demanded.

Flynn just rolled his eyes and walked away from her, hands in his pockets.

"HEY!" Heather ran over and grabbed his collar, yanking him onto a set of lockers. "I wasn't done talking to you!"

Fl-Eugene sighed. "Fine. But make it quick 'cause I gotta go to Tech Ed."

"You are a complete fucking stupid idiot son of a bitch, asshole, slut, and deserve to die in a fucking hole where jerks and freaking crappy assholes like you are!" she cried, using all of the swear words in her curse word dictionary.

Eugene yawned. "You done?" he asked, bored. But his voice trembled slightly.

"Yes. Now go." Eugene turned and practically ran away. Heather turned to me and slung her arm through mine as she casually walked away, dragging me behind her. She touched her green day lily to make sure it was still in her hair, then continued walking. Her dark blue miniskirt swished slightly as she sashayed to Music and I to Art. I couldn't stop shaking my head in wonder, though, of how my normally sweet friend could be capable of such strong language.

* * *

"Mavis, you look so good!" I laughed. Mavis, who normally chose dark colors, like black, was wearing a bright reddish-pink azalea in her hair. I was talking to her about her new look to distract myself from what had happened a few moments ago.

"Thanks, Rapunzel." Mavis smiled at me nervously, and lowered her voice. "Actually, I'm trying to impress someone."

"Johnny, right?" It was no secret among our friends that she used to have a huge crush on him before he stood his bright orange hair straight up and dyed his skin blue and claimed himself a monster.

"Ha ha ha, no. Guess again."

"Hmm . . . who was your date to the dance again? Oh yeah, Once-ler! Is it him?"

Mavis blushed scarlet. "Yes," she whispered.

I shrieked with laughter and giddiness as I tackled her into a hug. "Mavis! This is great! At last, one of those stupid blind dates finally worked!"

Mavis laughed along with me. "I know. I'm waiting for the right moment for him to notice me-actually, I think he might like me, too."

I grinned. "Aren't you glad I started the new trend of wearing flowers in your hair? Now I hope it'll go all the way to the Spring Formal!" Then a lightbulb went on over my head. "Ooh, ooh! What if the guys wear flowers, too? Like, on their lapels!"

"I think that's already been invented, Rapunzel." Mavis rolled her eyes. "Come on, we gotta go to the art room now."

* * *

I swirled paint around on my palette, then made gentle strokes on the canvas.

"How lovely," a deep, musical voice said. I glanced behind me to see the art teacher, Miss Esmeralda. She leaned in closer to my painting. "Are those lanterns?"

I nodded. "It's been my dream ever since I was little to go see the floating lanterns by Guardian Harbor. It's said to be the most magical place of all. Someday I will go see them!"

"Well, that's a wonderful dream." Miss Esmeralda smiled. She clapped her hands. "Okay, everyone! Time to clean up your supplies! Quickly, quickly! I have a music lesson to teach to the freshman in less than 5 minutes!"

Everyone hurried to clean up. When the room was empty of students except for me and Jack, Miss Esmeralda left the room.

Jack walked over to me. "Hey, can I see your painting?" he asked. I nodded, then showed him it. He whistled. "Wow. It really is good. Wanna see mine?" He held up his canvas. I burst out laughing.

"Wait-is that a stick?" I gasped, doubled over with laughter.

"Yep. As a matter of fact, it is," Jack replied, cracking a grin at me. "I guess it's technically a staff. I grew up in the city, and one day, when I was little, my dad took me to this weaponry store. He was going to buy a gun, 'cause we heard that a terrorist had attacked and killed a family in their sleep. So he asked me to choose any weapon in the shop but a gun and I chose a shepherd's staff. It seemed dangerous at the time. But it was important to me. And it was a reminder of my father when he left the family."

"Oh, Jack," I sighed. I walked over to hug him tightly.

"Hey, Punz, it's all right." He smiled at me. "But thanks for cheering me up." He hugged me back and I rested my head on his chest.

Someone behind us cleared their throat. The two of us glanced at the door and leapt apart.

"Oh, hey, Elsa," Jack said uncomfortably.

"Hi, Jack," Elsa replied, glancing between him and Rapunzel. "I was just coming by to see if you wanted to help out with the dance committee again, maybe become a permanent member."

Jack glanced at Rapunzel, who nodded enthusiastically. "It's really fun, Jack!" Rapunzel told him. "Especially if you're on the planning committee!" She winked at him and laughed.

"Sure, why not?" Jack replied, smiling. "Whichever job's the most fun, I'll join."

Great!" Elsa smiled, but she seemed distracted. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Jack looked back at Rapunzel again. She smiled, and motioned for him to leave. "Okay, see you later, Punz. Maybe we can meet up with Hic and Frizzy-Head this afternoon?"

"It's a plan," Rapunzel said.

Jack left with Elsa. Rapunzel sighed and gathered up her books. She scribbled a note to herself about meeting the others.

**Yay! Another chapter done, another chapter closer to more Jackunzel action! I have a surprise for you readers next chapter, heh heh heh. :D And be sure to check out the poll on my profile!**


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